Will of Fire, Heart of Stone
by DisobedienceWriter
Summary: The Hokage faces a terrible potential crisis when the Village Council spreads news of the young jinchuuriki, Naruto. The world changes when a more attentive, forceful Sandaime rears his head and takes back full control of his village. Sarutobi-centric. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Will of Fire, Heart of Stone**

Chapter One

Edited 3/14/09

A/N: I just finished a story with a wishy washy Sandaime who gets redeemed at the end. Writing the epilogue to that story made me want to work on this one again. This is a stronger, more resolute Sandaime Hokage, but his world won't be an easy one. As you shall see.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

A week after the demonic disaster named Kyuubi almost leveled Konoha, notices went out to the ANBU. Several senior ninja now had new, internal duties.

For some reason, the three Hyuuga ANBU began spying on the Uchiha. Two Uchiha spied on the Hyuuga. The Inuzuka ANBU members were tasked with the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. The Nara clan spied on the Inuzuka. Hatake Kakashi was pulled from his grief over the death of his sensei to start surveillance on the civilian council members.

No one knew why they were tasked away from reconstruction or intensified border patrol. Internal spying was usually a matter for ROOT, wasn't it, or the Counter-Espionage group.

A few people tried to get the Hokage or even Jiraiya to explain what was going on. Orders were orders; the Hokage sat resolute and said nothing.

Indeed, most of the ANBU didn't question their orders. The Hyuua were naturally suspicious of the Uchiha; the Uchiha loathed the Hyuuga.

A few ANBU were now getting paid by the Hokage to do what their clans would normally have them do in their off hours.

Reports flowed in to the Hokage. The information he wanted to know was so strange. Were the Uchiha talking with people outside of their compound more often? Did the Yamanaka clan ninjas talk with a lot of civilians?

It was a full week later that notices went out to the clan heads and the elder counselors. There was a meeting at nine…that night…less than two hours distant.

The newly reinstated Hokage wasn't known for being dramatic, so the counselors and clan heads showed up expecting either great or terrible news. Two weeks after the Kyuubi disaster, they were expecting more dire news.

They were proven correct when an unspeakably angry Sarutobi Hiruzen stormed into the room. Normally a genial sort, an angry Hokage had the council nervous. The news was going to be terrible…had Iwa resumed the war?

It wasn't every day that the most powerful ninja in the Fire Country seemed like a raging volcano. Disquieting thoughts bubbled up in the minds of everyone present.

"Sit," he said at barely a whisper, still everyone fell into their seats.

A rather dour-looking Toad Sannin, Jiraiya, followed the Hokage into the room. Then, ominously, the doors were shut and sealed from the outside. This was a rare sort of security precaution. All the evidence pointed to war.

"How many of you in this room like living in a Hidden Village?" the Hokage asked.

The assembled elders and clan heads of the village were surprised at the question. A lot of shrugging and confusion followed. This wasn't the way Sarutobi usually spoke. He was direct and to the point.

"Raise your hands if you like living in Konoha." The barked command shocked the listeners.

Everyone raised a hand. This was embarrassing to them, like being back in the Ninja Academy.

"Raise your hand," the angry Hokage said, "if you love that we're nestled into a vast forest. A forest our Shodai Hokage endowed to us…his greatest and most incredible work, something that could never be replicated, not with all the Earth and Water users in Fire Country."

The counselors and clan heads did nothing. That just made the Hokage angrier.

"If you like living in a forest, raise your hand."

Again, all the hands went up.

"And who here had donated their time to helping those injured in the disaster? To making life a bit better for your neighbor, for the man who sells you daikon, or the woman who bakes your bread. All of you, right?"

Some hands went up without a thought. The more snobbish clan leaders reluctantly raised theirs, as if they had difficulties remembering ever helping anyone.

"I can assume everyone here wants their children, their heirs, to grow up among the leaves, right?"

This was an easy one. All the hands rose up as one.

"Yes. Many of you have just had children. Some are the new clan heirs. Some will, unfortunately, have to replace clan heirs who died during those horrible events when the hospital was damaged and part of a village wall caved in."

That sad history had been discussed among the clans. Why did Sarutobi bring up such a painful subject now? The Yamanaka's had lost a son, the designated heir. The Aburame had lost two children and their clan head, extinguishing that branch of the family. The Uchiha had lost almost ten percent of their ninja, including the third in line to be clan head behind Fugaku's own two sons.

"Yes, it's a fine thing to live in a village like this one. A fine thing. Three Hokages to date have died to keep this place alive; I checked the rolls and another eighteen hundred jounin-ranked ninja have died in our decades of skirmishes, intrigues, and wars. A beautiful forest we have grown from blood, sweat, and ground bone. A beautiful place to raise children…."

The clan heads, in particular, had no idea if Sarutobi had lost his mind. The words coming out of his mouth, this anger, what had happened? If it wasn't war, what was it?

Sarutobi stopped for a moment, looked at Jiraiya, and took a deep breath. "Fine. Everyone in here is loyal to the Leaf. So you attest. Now tell me if you'd all like to have Stone ninjas attack us in a week…. Anyone?"

The elders looked confused. What the Hokage said wasn't a declaration of war, was it?

"No one wants that, Hokage-sama," said the acting head of the Aburame clan. (With the previous head's death, the internal politics of selecting a new permanent head would take time.)

"No one says they want that," Jiraiya said, his tone even angrier than the Hokage's. "But that's what you clout-headed fools almost caused."

"What," the Uchiha Clan head shouted. A number of other people jumped to their feet to defend their patriotism.

"Sit," the Hokage said, barely constraining his rage. "All of you return to your seats. We have much to discuss."

Sarutobi was usually so mild mannered that it was odd to see him stand and begin pacing the way a caged tiger might…and the council knew that this aged man was more deadly than any tiger.

"Because of the devastation from the Kyuubi's attack, we are at our weakest right now," the Third Hokage said, his weariness only exceeded with the vigor of his anger.

"You all know this. It's vital we keep this truth secret. Right? We must repair ourselves as fast as possible giving our enemies as small an opportunity as possible…to learn of our distress."

The assembled elders all agreed. Who knew what Stone or Cloud might do if they had accurate information as to what had happened. Even their ally Hidden Sand might get some fool-headed ideas given the chance. The main wall hadn't been completely repaired yet and Konoha's surviving ninja forces were mostly injured or despondent in grief at the present moment.

Battle-hardened ninja knew what it was like to fight in battle. But to fight the unstoppable, the juggernaut of a bijuu…that was something else entirely.

Some of the ninja on the battlefield might never be right in the head again.

"Secrecy. We all know the importance. It's common sense. It's been discussed in this very chamber two times since the attack. So how is it that one or more traitors sit on this council, traitors who would draw the Stone army to us?"

That prompted more outcry, of course. The look on the Hokage's face was enough to put down this eruption of self-preservation.

"You, all of you in this room save the Aburame and two of the minor clans now present, were told eight days ago of this village's most recent S-class secret. I even formed a special law to protect this information…to keep Konoha and also the young sacrifice safe."

Danzo, along with Homura, finally understood what this was about. The Head of ROOT began trying to figure out how he was going to survive this. Sarutobi would assign a slap on the wrist, right? Perhaps a loss of political power or a forced retirement. But a retired ninja can maintain unofficial power for a very long time. Danzo's mind churned through his options.

"Less than a week later, what do I find? Defiance; passing of the secret through the clans; even civilians discussing military secrets on the street corner. For a normal secret, I would be angry but dismiss it as a bit of venting, dangerous but potentially necessary. But not for this secret. Now you shall know why I am so angry, so furious: a team of chuunin out patrolling seven days ago discovered something that chilled my blood."

The angry face of Sarutobi became fixed.

"A spy, a spy from Stone, rushing back to Earth Country as quickly as he could."

Cold horror bloomed in the minds of not a few clan heads present. The greater part of the room now saw where this story was going…and they were too weak to keep Sarutobi and Jiraiya from doing what they had now resolved had to do.

"This spy was taken down easily – by surprise – and sent to interrogation. Do you want to know what this spy had learned just from walking our streets? He knew the classified details of what had happened to Kyuubi, even the name of the jinchuuriki; he knew the specifics of the sealing array used; he knew even how long the seal had to be in place – nine years – before we could be absolutely sure that Kyuubi would die when his jailor died. He knew details I released to this council only one day before the spy heard them. These details I only released to this Council under great duress…and under my special law. Why then did a spy learn them so quickly…a spy so green he was taken down by chuunin eating their dinner while out on patrol!"

The Uchiha head had grown paler and paler. "I protest…."

"Sit down, you blowhard. You and your ilk have almost brought a war upon us at the time we're least able to cope with one. To think I thought this Council was worth the frustration; that the idea of participation and semi-representative democracy was valuable; that it would keep us from becoming monstrous and corrupt; that we were different from Stone and Cloud and Hidden Mist because our clans and our villagers could be involved in governance….

"I was a fool. I considered some of you as adversaries or as annoyances. But I was wrong. As a body this council is worthless except to bring down ruin upon us. You can't keep your mouths shut! So many treasonous things have begun in the minds of people who had the privilege of sitting in this room. I should strike these betrayers down as I speak…."

The Uchiha shut up midway through that vitriol. He was a formidable ninja, but 'The Professor' could knock him to pieces in minutes, having developed now-forbidden techniques that negated the Sharingan's predictive and copying abilities.

"You all expected me not to notice you were violating military intelligence protocol; that you were spreading vital, classified information so freely that a green spy from Stone, here on a simple training mission, could learn our most critical secrets within hours of entering our village. I am not a doddering fool; I have not forgotten my job in the all-too-brief time that the Yondaime took the leadership of Konoha. I am the Fire Shadow; I have the will of fire, but today I must also harden my heart and perform a most painful duty.

"For one week I have had my ANBU spying on all of you. I preyed on old hatreds and no one questioned why I was spying on my own people so soon after a disaster. I have a good deal of evidence, enough to pass judgment.

"For breaking the special Kyuubi law, this Council, per my powers as Hokage in a time of disaster or war, is dissolved. All of you will submit to 'informal' questioning as to what you know of this security leak. Those of you responsible will spend time with the ANBU interrogators. Those who maliciously broke the law will receive the full sentence, death; those who are merely stupid or gossips will be removed as ninjas. None of the guilty will ever hold positions of prominence in this village again…."

At this the Head of the Uchiha Clan attacked. It was either he assassinate the Hokage now…or die a traitor later.

The Hokage had expected it.

The Hyuuga ANBU had provided evidence that suggested nearly every Uchiha knew of the jinchuuriki – and it was clear that news was passing to civilians from several Uchiha. Perhaps they expected for village mobs to deal with the jinchurriki, not caring that the seal needed time to bind the Kyuubi's soul to the young boy's. Not caring that it was entirely likely that this act of vengeance would give Kyuubi back all his power.

The Uchiha would destroy anything…even a baby…that had the potential to become more powerful than even their greatest prodigies. It was the Uchiha way. Konoha had always gone along, turning a blind eye, in the past. (Well, save for when the Shodaime and Uchiha Madara got into a battle over their tactics and goals….)

The Hokage batted away the Fire attack as he leveled a massive Killer Intent at the only Uchiha in the room.

This attack was one the Professor had used very rarely…but it worked. The amount of fear generated within the hate-filled Uchiha's mind caused a blood vessel to burst. The man fell over, incapacitated and slowly dying.

"Anyone else care to challenge me?" The Hokage looked over the cowering morons with disgust. "I may be old, but I can kill the strongest of you just by glaring at you."

The quivering mass of the dying Uchiha Clan leader on the floor gave testament to that.

"All of you will be taken for questioning by several people I trust implicitly. The traitors will feel the talents of the ANBU torture squad. You will reveal the name of every person you informed of this secret…and why. This is not a gossipy shougi parlor…this is a military village. Secrets, even one you hate, can kill us if known to a wide audience."

Jiraiya, usually a goofball, looked as severely angered as the Hokage. He finally spoke up. "My greatest student gave his life to save this pissant village…and all of your pettiness nearly took that and threw it away. I counseled against sharing any information with you…I had a more hard-nosed understanding of what many of you were. Sensei decided to trust in your military instincts, your self-preservation instincts. He has already admitted his folly.

"Stone could have mobilized and been here within a week…and they would have known exactly which child to secure. They'd have killed the poor tyke, because they are truly heartless bastards, and Kyuubi's chakra would have been free to reform a demonic body. All of us would have died. We've let you spoiled princesses poke your noses into things for too long. I'm going to start my interrogation with the Hyuuga."

The Hokage just nodded. "As of now, I am sole leader of the village. All of the special dispensations for clans are void…as several clans have brought us to war and should feel the pain of what they did…and I will appoint special advisors to deal with trade, reconstruction, relations with the Daimyo, and other matters. We're done."

The Hokage and Jiraiya left through what had been a sealed door.

The other door to the room opened…and a variety of ANBU who did not come from clans poured into the room and overwhelmed the mostly elderly council members. Some of these people had once been fighters, but they couldn't easily stand up to men thirty or forty years younger. Some hadn't even trained regularly in a decade or longer, so used to sitting in the Council chambers and meddling in things not within their purview.

The civilian counselors, who had not been invited to this meeting, were dragged from their homes by masked ANBU. The kinder ANBU used pressure points to knock them unconscious. A few of the ones who'd experienced Council politics before were a bit more…aggressive. The Hokage had approved all of this in advance; after all, he did understand the power of a bit of theatre for the general populace.

Inside and outside the council chamber, the guiltiest struggled the hardest. They had caused the Hokage to invoke the penalty clauses of his law; they had caused the power of the clans to be somewhat broken. It was possible that none of the clans would be trusted for a long time to come after all the revelations came out.

None of the ANBU seemed at all concerned when they broke arms or had to stab a person to keep him from escaping.

The bloody scene inside the room would keep it from being used as a meeting space for a long time. The Hokage did not have it remodeled for nearly a decade, as he considered it an honest, vicious blot – one that should be remembered – on the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

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The ANBU began the interrogation of Danzo a few minutes after three o'clock in the morning.

The man had been a rival for years…but Sarutobi had enjoyed the sparring for a good long while. He had never thought his…perhaps-friend was so deep in corruption.

The more of these interrogations Sarutobi listened to, the more out of touch he felt.

All of this…all this vile, beastly plotting inside his village walls! Minato had asked Sarutobi two months ago what he should do about Danzo; the young Hokage had been considering forcing the aged ROOT commander on a suicide mission just to be rid of him. Sarutobi had counseled against it…a foolish effort.

Sarutobi steeled himself and stood behind the one-way mirror. It was nearing four o'clock in the morning, but Sarutobi subsisted on anger right now.

"Now, Danzo," the interrogator said, one of the few interrogation specialists who weren't compromised in some way by ROOT's blackmail or coercion schemes. "Tell me the names of those you informed about the Kyuubi aftermath."

"You're going to kill me anyway. I have confessed my crimes; fallen on my sword for a once-great, now wasting away village. That is enough, I think."

The interrogator, one of the few remaining who was trained during the Nidaime's reign as Hokage, leaned forward. "You know my reputation, Danzo. Do you really want to see my…technique with your own eye?"

Sarutobi stifled a laugh at the little joke. Mocking Danzo for his infirmities was wrong… Huh? Sarutobi hadn't stayed up for this many continuous hours in a good many years. The hours were wearing on him.

"You wouldn't…. That bastard Sarutobi signed a warrant, didn't he? It's bad enough you're going to kill me…but torture?"

"The kind I practice…well, it doesn't leave much in the way of a mark."

"Do your worst…."

Sarutobi closed his eyes and rubbed them. Danzo's holding out like this said that he knew something important. He was being stubborn to demonstrate something, to win a concession…or maybe to be a bastard until the bitter end.

Yakogi would find the information. The number of failures the man had could be counted on two hands – all due to his subjects' hearts giving out under stress. Less than ten died from the more than one thousand who had 'chatted' with this legend.

Sarutobi watched as the barrel of water was carted into the room.

"Is there nothing I can do to prevent this?" the interrogator asked his subject.

"Die," Danzo spat.

"Not today. Not because of you. You should feel lucky I am your lowly interrogator. Had you been before the Shodai Hokage himself, you would feel living wood piercing under your finger and toenails, growing millimeter by millimeter until you begged for death. My technique…is less refined. Well…we shall begin."

The old interrogator formed some handseals and a thin column of water erupted from the tank.

The first bit form up a collar around Danzo's neck. He was immobilized.

The next bit splashed against the man's lips and teeth, prying them open and continuing down his throat.

The water hung there, holding Danzo and suffocating him.

As Danzo's eyes lit up in horror at feeling a technique that should never have been invented, Yakogi performed another set of handseals…and the water from his throat, esophagus, lungs, and stomach began to draw back…slowly. By the time the water was gone, Danzo was nearly passed out.

It was a pain, Sarutobi knew from watching Yakogi work, the inevitable black outs this technique caused. But Yakogi was always cautious to begin and quick to stop once a subject had broken.

"The names, Danzo. Tell me the names."

"The Leaf is rotten," Danzo's damaged vocal cords rumbled. "The branches are rotting. When the fire comes, the Leaf will burn."

Yakogi made more handseals and the process repeated itself.

Sarutobi left the room and let Yakogi ply his trade. He had other conversations to observe.

The Uchiha elders had been taken as a group a few hours ago. Jiraiya had one of them now.

"You can't do that to us. You can't…."

That was a female voice. Fugaku's wife, Mikoto. Sarutobi stepped into the viewing area and fully closed the door.

"You are mistaken," Jiraiya said. "The clan laws have been repealed by a wartime decree; the village council has been disbanded, too. Now…you will tell me how you were told the true details of the Kyuubi attack."

"I have rights. I demand to speak with my husband."

Sarutobi was surprised that she didn't already know. Jiraiya must be saving that information for a reason….

"Right now, you are suspected of treason. I don't think the Hokage cares much about your rights."

"Fugaku would never permit this…."

Sarutobi recognized that the woman had entered a kind of fugue state. Her brain just wasn't processing the questions Jiraiya asked anymore.

"Your husband is dead."

That got a reaction. It wasn't a scream or tears or even shock. The only thing Sarutobi noticed was her lip beginning to quiver. She was a trained kunoichi, after all, and could mask her emotions.

"How?"

"He attempted to assassinate the Hokage with a fire jutsu. The Hokage…well, he proved why he was Hokage then. Your husband died a minute or two later."

"We are broken, then?"

"All the Uchiha elders are in cells like this one. None of you will ever leave, not until we understand the full extent of this treason…."

"All this, the destruction of our clan, for one simple little baby! He should be dead…."

"I care not for a discussion of policy with a traitor like yourself. I care only for information. Now…speak."

"The Hokage wouldn't kill the child…so the Uchiha Elders, all of us, we decided to…plant the seed of an idea. A bit of overheard gossip here…and eventually some civilian makes an attempt and gives everyone else the idea. That 'child' should be dead."

"Names…now."

Sarutobi had heard enough of this. All the Uchiha Elders, six ninja in number now that Fugaku was dead, all conspiring. They would have to be killed.

Minato thought he was ending the chaos and destruction…saving the village. But the method of salvation he chose was now ripping the Hidden Leaf to shreds, exposing the rot that was far more widespread than Sarutobi had feared to imagine.

Sarutobi walked out and picked up a clipboard. The preliminary results were in. Of the twenty-one council members and minor clan advisors, fourteen had broken the law. Of the civilian council members who were informed of the Kyuubi details, all of them had broken the law.

Sarutobi had long debated with himself whether there more danger sharing military information with civilians who did not…and could not…understand the importance of discretion or in allowing only ninja to get restricted information. The answer was still unclear.

He flipped a few pages on the clipboard. Many of the other councilors knew that the law had been violated and did nothing. They would receive lighter sentences, but they were not innocent.

Right now, the ANBU had warrants to apprehend more than forty civilians.

The days of the Uchiha-led Konoha Police Force were over. Civilians would need to get used to being handled by the ANBU. That reminded Sarutobi to have the Police Force records audited and examined…hopefully there would be no irregularities.

It was just another blow.

How much of the village would revolt? Would it lead to a civil war…over something like this…over a baby who kept the raging chakra of a demon held back? Were trained ninja so blind – leaving aside civilians – so given to their passions?

Sarutobi set down the clipboard. He knew that Ebisu, the former head of Ninja Force Internal Affairs, an oft hated figure for his role in policing…well the police and the ninja and anyone else who worked for the Hokage. He was an honest sort, but his days as a line ninja were over. He'd be 'accidentally' killed by teammates while on a mission.

Sarutobi mulled this over as he settled in to listen to another interrogation.

Perhaps Ebisu should go into training the young. It would be nothing at all to make him a Special Jounin…a pity for a talented ninja. It was hard to get someone to take a role in Internal Affairs, but necessary. Ebisu had done a great service then…as he was doing now.

Yamanaka Inoichi was likely innocent, but Ebisu would find out for sure. Sarutobi wanted to make damned sure that his lead interrogation specialist was trustworthy. The ANBU would spend weeks on these detailed interviews if Sarutobi could only trust Yakogi. (He had been retired and living outside the Hidden Leaf during the Kyuubi disaster. Sarutobi had only recalled him a day ago…and was positive the man hadn't been caught up with Danzo or anyone else.)

He settled in to watch Ebisu and Inoichi spar. He had hours to go and his bones were weary.

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Three weeks after Kyuubi's defeat, the Sandaime Hokage felt every one of his sixty-five years of life. He walked out onto the balcony overlooking a wide avenue. It was packed with people: villagers and shinobi.

He didn't have to fake the dire look on his face.

"Today, people of Konoha, I must relate a tale of treason to you."

The gathered individuals standing outside the Hokage Tower were understandably nervous. The Hokage hadn't called for a general gathering like this one since Iwa had declared war on the Leaf.

Treason had to be at least as bad as a bunch of Earth Country scum.

"A military secret was revealed to the Village Council about two weeks ago…and they were informed that the information was subject to our highest secrecy ranking. Within the week, the majority of them were freely discussing the secret within their clans. All of the civilian members also violated the military secrecy law.

"This was supremely dangerous, as a young spy from another Hidden Village had just infiltrated our village as part of a training mission. He learned the complete details of our military secret within hours…and it was only luck that a group on patrol caught him before he crossed the border. Our council's loose lips with one of our most important military secrets nearly brought us to war…and at a time we could least expect to deal with it. Instead of repairing the walls and tending to the wounded today, we would have been fighting an enemy force looking to crush us at our weakest point.

"Each person who was told this military secret was questioned…and those who broke the secrecy laws were interrogated to the fullest extent. Twenty-three civilians have been convicted of treason, as have forty-one shinobi. Those convicted of the most minor offenses are currently serving time in our special military prison; those convicted of major offenses will be executed today…."

That brought a gasp from the crowd. Military executions were almost always done in secret, after secret trials, the village at large never permitted to know of what had happened.

Moments later, thirty one people, including seven of the Uchiha Clan, were dragged from an unmarked door on the side of the Hokage Tower. Their guards brought them in front of the city wills near just to the left of where the Hokage was speaking.

"As Hokage, I must protect the people of the village from threats foreign and domestic. These traitors have revealed secrets that only through luck did not end in a bloody war. May you wail for all eternity in the guts of the Shinigami."

A masked man to the side of the condemned let loose a Fire Dragon which seemed to gobble up each person. It was a powerful spectacle with an unmistable message: military secrets will cost you your lives should you ever betray them.

The Hokage continued with his speech. "The Uchiha Clan compound and several other properties belonging to clans and civilians have been confiscated. These Uchiha lands were originally gifts to lure that clan here…and they have been taken back for cowardly, treasonous conduct. Shortly, we will turn those spaces into affordable housing for those adversely affected by the attack. Likewise, we will be moving our orphanage into new quarters there, seeing that we have a massive increase in the numbers of children without living parents…"

"What will happen to the remaining Uchiha?" Predictably it was a civilian shouting out the question. Why the people loved the cold hearted Uchiha Sarutobi couldn't understand.

"Some will choose to resign as shinobi of the Leaf and leave the village…and will be bound with a new protective seal to prevent them from ever attacking Konoha. Some have already gone nukenin…they will be hunted down and killed after I finish teaching my anti-Sharingan tactics to our Hunter Ninjas. Those who remain loyal to Konoha will remain welcome to live with us. However, they will no longer have the right to control our police force nor a right to sit on a council should it ever be reformed. Traitors, among them all the Uchiha Elders, should never prosper from their acts."

The Hokage's speech continued…and the village's opinion of the man changed. While he had cultivated a laid back reputation, he now demonstrated why he was the strongest ninja in the village, even at his advanced age.

Those few who had escaped detection even after learning about the Kyuubi being sealed into a child knew they had to keep the knowledge secret. The Hokage was willing to follow through on his law.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"This is intolerable, Lord Hokage," Hyuuga Hiashi said. He had become clan head only two years earlier after his father retired and joined the Hyuuga Elders. "None of my clan has been convicted of anything. None of us were responsible for letting the secret escape."

"You personnaly followed the letter of the law, Hiashi. But you broke its spirit. Some in your clan, like the two executed Elders, openly flouted my decree after they got the information from the Uchiha or others. Remind me, Hiashi, of how much you knew about the whispering of the other clans…and what you did to stop it."

Hiashi remained stone faced.

"Correct. It is a shinobi's task to maintain secrets, his own, his village's. Your clan failed in that respect. You heard the whispers, your clan associates heard them…and most had enough sense to not pass them along. Why did you not come to me, tell me…my few remaining ANBU have been severely taxed with their reduced numbers, severely wounded comrades, and greatly increased duties. The clans needed to step up…and didn't. This is conduct I should reward? Encourage?"

"Aside from those disgraced old men, who have paid the ultimate price, my clan did nothing wrong." The young Jonin kept trying to argue but a single opinion. It wasn't a strong case to make and Hiashi was still a relatively poor negotiator.

"It is not commission I blame you for, but omission. You did not act to stop this. You are as guilty as any of the fools burnt to cinders for almost bringing us to war. This argument will not wash."

Hiashi, as collected as ever, nodded. "Then I must inform you, Lord Hokage, that the Hyuuga will be asserting the right of severing from the Hidden Leaf."

"You will follow the traitorous Uchiha? The confused Akimichi? The decimated Kentoru? It is solely within your discretion. I will not even attempt to oppose or delay you. But answer me a question: what do you hope to gain?"

Hiashi had not moved during this exchange, but now he looked a bit…irresolute. "We must maintain a position within a village where we are respected. That is no longer the case here, Lord Hokage. We will seek a powerful new alliance."

Sarutobi just nodded his head, not terribly surprised at the continuing Hyuuga arrogance. Their remaining Elder Council was filled with fools who had not held a kunai in decades…and they dictated policy to the clan head. Hiashi seemed to at least recognize the futility of what he was forced to do today.

After all, where would they go? Hidden Mist, the place where the Bloodline Wars were in full swing? Hidden Cloud, which had several times before attempted to capture, not kill, Byakugan users out on missions? Hidden Stone, which had only been deterred from a continuing war after Minato savaged their last, largest armed attempt at invasion?

Hidden Sand? Hidden Grass? Hanzou's Hidden Rain? Maybe petition a Daimyo to form a new Hidden Village…

No, none of these would kowtow to the Hyuuga. Hiashi likely already knew this…but his 'honor' – as defined by the Hyuuga Elders – would demand prominence and privilege.

"I wish you the best of luck then, Hiashi. Be careful."

"The Hyuuga need no luck."

Sarutobi frowned after Hiashi left his office. This would not end well.

But he could not…would not return to coddling of the clans, letting them trample through the village as if no one else mattered.

The Great Unravelling was in full swing. That would be his terrible legacy. But at least the Hidden Leaf might have the opportunity to grow stronger from his difficulty.

"Good bye, Hyuuga Hiashi. May the Kami guide you safely…and may you hide from the hungry eyes of the Shinigami."

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Sarutobi Hiruzen, the famed Ninja Professor, could barely keep a civil tongue in his head.

The remaining teachers in the Academy – comprising those not killed by the Kyuubi and not withdrawn from Hidden Leaf by departing clans and minor families – had the…gall to present these records.

It was a disgrace.

The ANBU would have another task to sort out very soon. Retired school teachers would soon be visiting Inoichi. Sarutobi thought he himself might be due for a torture session, as well, for not spotting this mess sooner.

"Let me see if I understand this. The Academy had an 'unofficial' policy of handling disciplinary matters differently depending upon who the student's sponsor was?"

An abashed chuunin named Seiko Noda nodded, unable to form up words. He had never expected to be interrogated by the Hokage of all people concerning the Academy and its running.

"So, if I were to sponsor a student who was disruptive, causing havoc with the other students' learning…how would it be handled?"

"Delicately."

"And if a similar student spent his time painting classrooms green or planting traps for the teachers, but came from a civilian family?"

"Expulsion."

"The Jounin I entrusted to oversee the Academy was a fool then. Best for him that he's now dead. We will rebuild the walls of the building soon enough…but we will not reimplement all the old policies. Do you all understand me?"

He got back a chorus of discouraged "Hai, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage turned to question an ANBU who had been tasked with examining odd caches of paperwork found in the homes of the traitor council members.

"And these papers you wished to discuss? What relevance do they have with schooling?"

"I believe," the masked ANBU cautiously began, "that council members would from time to time pay a visit to certain chuunin at the Academy."

"To what end?"

"To make suggestions, especially on team formation."

"That is my job…."

The ANBU nodded, pausing to think his way through a mine field. "Correct. But the Lord Hokage listens to advice, if I'm not mistaken. Especially the teacher-generated commentary on each student's progress and assessment of strengths and weaknesses."

The Hokage nodded. He turned to look back at Seiko Noda. "Is it true? Was pressure applied?"

The chuunin nodded.

"Were the comments always accurate? Complete and accurate?"

The chuunin shook his head and let out a long-held breath.

"Were favors or money exchanged for these…considerations?"

The terrified chuunin nodded again.

The Hokage looked at the other teachers. That none of them would meet his eyes was proof enough.

"ANBU, what was the end result of these contacts, aside from team placement?"

"I haven't finished reviewing the documents, but the pile I have reviewed suggest a…troubling pattern."

"Yes?"

"If Lord Hokage would care to review team composition for the last decade, I am sure he would find that clan team members often find themselves on teams with other clan members…."

"Yes, I agree with that."

"And that the teams formed by civilian or orphan children rarely passed their jounin-sensei's personal examinations…."

"You've got to be kidding me…."

It was so obvious now…now that someone else had unraveled this mess. The Hokage felt like a fool, but he spent so little time on the Academy. Not with wars looming and jounin to oversee and manage in A- and S-ranked missions.

He had felt comfortable delegating most of the Academy issues to people he thought trustworthy…which now seemed misplaced.

"So…the clans look better if their children always 'perform' better than other student ninja, get on better teams, pass out of the Academy earlier. This is ridiculous. Half the Hokages have come from no clan…and the other two came from the same one and were ridiculously talented in their own right, not from long maintained bloodlines. Namikaze Minato, our greatest Hokage, was completely untaught until he reached the Academy…and then he grew like a weed. I confess to having excellent 'tutors' early in life. But…this kind of sabotage. Making the clans look powerful by literally making everyone else fail and look weak. Am I hearing this right?"

The masked ANBU just nodded.

"This sounds like treason to me. Subversion of the village's military strength for favors and money. Have them all taken to Interrogation. Let's get the whole picture."

The masked ANBU nodded…and a few chuunin, fearing this conclusion, tried to escape. One found out it was not possible to shunshin from this room – Sarutobi knew more about sealing than anyone else in Konoha save for his student Jiraiya – and the others found out that an ANBU could subdue several weak chuunin at the same time.

Sarutobi watched with his anger finally ebbing away.

Had he been sleeping all these long years? Not paying attention? Not questioning what he was told? All of these findings made his village seem like something else, something foreign and revolting.

Had his conception of the Hidden Leaf always been a lie? Or had he let corruption eat away at it?

Sarutobi pondered. Hatake, strong clan and exceptional warriors. But that new jounin Maito Gai was easily Kakashi's equal…and was an orphan.

For every powerful clan jounin Sarutobi could think of, there were two or three non-clan ones who were as good or better.

Almost all the remaining ANBU were non-clan. Uzumaki Kushina had come from a clan in Whirlpool Country. She had been the last clan ANBU Captain.

Sarutobi would need to dig deeper. Had the early compromises necessary to fuse Senju and Uchiha – which made Konoha attractive to other clans – rotted the village this way? Could it have been possible for things to have gone differently, for Sarutobi to have managed things differently.

These last weeks had severely disarranged nearly everything he thought he knew.

He hoped there were few more surprises in store…for him or the village.

In a fit of anger his hand snaked out and plucked up one of the many folders discussed in this room in the past few days.

The Hyuuga.

He flipped it open and began reviewing the report.

Graduated one or two genin every year from the Academy. Had 17 active chuunin at the time of their leaving – and 62 'retired' chuunin. Only 7 jounin – four of whom were 'retired.'

More of this 'clan first' garbage, Sarutobi realized. These retirements at chuunin level – it permitted the ninja to be trained at the village's expense and then to be used for the clan's benefit. Many of these 'retired' chuunin had trained hard and long enough to take and pass a jounin examination…but instead they remained behind the clan walls.

The other shinobi had to pick up the slack: the non-clan shinobi.

"There cannot be villages within villages…if the goal is to have a wholly united village. I cannot and will not permit this to happen," he vowed.

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"I said no," Jiraiya reiterated.

"Why not?"

"I have my reasons."

"That's not good enough."

"You know, I never was good enough for you, Sensei. Wonder why I'm the only one of your students who still talks to you."

Sarutobi sighed. "And, again, the past intrudes upon the present. Why, in my dotage, does everyone see fit to remind me of my more youthful failings? It would have been better to correct me back then…"

"Correct the Professor? Surely you jest. He knew everything. Just ask him; he'd tell you."

"Very funny."

"I'm not smiling."

Jiraiya was being…difficult. This was a conversation the Sandaime Hokage had long been bracing himself to have…and now Jiraiya had been in the village to help with the final reconstruction of the village walls.

Sure the masonry had been up for some time. But it had taken three weeks to reinscribe all the sealing arrays and then activate them. Jiraiya hadn't been happy to be stuck in-village for three weeks, but he'd done it.

The man claimed he was born for a life of wandering, women, and worship. The Hokage agreed with the first two, but wasn't sure what Jiraiya meant by the last. His student was a most profane, if amusing, person.

"If you are not willing to become Godaime Hokage, Jiraiya, I must ask you to state your reasons. If it is simple resentment towards me, I am afraid that won't cut it."

"No. No, it's more than that."

The Hokage nodded, waiting.

"I do not trust myself."

"I trust you…."

"No, stop doing that. Just listen to me, would you?"

The Hokage just nodded. This was obviously important to his student.

"I do not trust myself. I thought myself at the pinnacle of my craft a few years ago. I had just trained a ninja to exceed my own remarkable feats. I had a name. I had money. I had a woman in every village and two in every city. I felt happy. But, it wasn't to be. It was all a lie.

"My teammate, I distrusted him but I did not see him for what he was, what he was doing. My student, I taught him to be great, but I taught him too well. His knowledge of sealing came to exceed my own. So when I tried to take his place, to offer my life to the Shinigami to save Konoha, I found I could not. I did not have the skill to create and understand and control the arrays. People seem to think it was a simple matter to call down the Death God and get him to do what you want…but, after he was called, his actions were all guided and controlled by the seal. Every bit of it. A man made seal instructing and leading a God…it is as momentous an accomplishment as I make it sound.

"Minato created the arrays out of whole cloth in less than four days. Arrays to guide the Death God; arrays to restrain the Kyuubi once inside of the boy; arrays to leech off the Kyuubi's power to make a true powerhouse of a child; arrays to tie the Kyuubi's lifeforce to that of the host. It has taken me eight months since then – every day since his death – just to begin to unravel it. He was a genius. I gave him knowledge and power as a ninja, he exceeded me by age twenty, he eclipsed me by age twenty four, the self-sacrificing bastard.

"I was ready to knock him unconscious and do this myself, but I felt like a toddler attending a physics convention when I tried. I now know that what he did just isn't theoretically possible. No other jinchuuriki was created this way. All of them required a quirk of the Shodai's genetics to even capture them.

"It wasn't possible…as I said…and Minato did it anyway. It would be like me calling down Kami, giving her a corporeal body, having my way with her to her ever increasing pleasure, and then letting her take my soul in payment. It is the stuff of dreamers and poets and mystics.

"I trained and lost the most valuable person this village has ever known. I permitted the most horrible person this village has created to betray us for years…and then leave without a scratch because of your order to 'let him go.' I suspected my teammate a lot longer than you did. For a decade or more, I watched him and told you to watch him.

"I feel that I am both not strong enough to have my warnings believed and not strong enough to step in and take the fatal swing of a katana should my village ever demand it. I cannot be Hokage. Not now. Not ever."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked for a place to begin unraveling this mess inside his student's mind. But, he realized that Jiraiya wouldn't listen. He had convinced himself to feel unending guilt…and nothing would shake that loose.

"I will honor your statement, my student. But I will ask again in one year's time…."

"You may, but I don't see how my answer will be any different."

"I have failed you then, my student. I should have struck Orochimaru down myself. That is my failing, not yours. I trained him; I knew he was powerful and a bit twisted; I allowed him to grow unrestrained, like a cancer. It fell to me to end him…but my heart was too soft. This is my shortcoming, not yours."

Jiraiya nodded, but said nothing.

Sarutobi was stuck. He had the same feelings of guilt – for not seeing the rot in his village for so long – but he couldn't just call himself 'unfit to be Hokage' and leave.

He had held the office on and off for all of his adult life.

There was, by definition, no one more fit to be Hokage than Sarutobi.

He wanted to smoke, but just sat there, trying to think his way through this problem. The trouble was there was no easy or simple solution.

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Three Years Later

The fire was everywhere. His family was expelling fireball after fireball, not caring that they hit the tents or the fragile wooden buildings.

The boy looked for his younger brother…and bit back a sob when he saw the boy crushed under a fallen log. He wasn't moving at all and the fires were almost on top of him.

Sasuke had only been three. He did not deserve this. None of the Uchiha did.

Little Itachi scrambled away from the fighting. He had activated his Sharingan almost two years ago, on his seventh birthday. He was now nearly nine and skilled, but…he had never seen a fight before.

He was utterly terrified and slunk into the shadows.

Soon the ninjas stopped and someone began to douse the flames.

A pale man rode on a snake into the area where his adoptive parents' dead bodies lay. Itachi knew they were actually his aunt and uncle…but they had encouraged him to call them 'mother' and 'father.'

The pale man jumped down from his snake and pulled out a surgical knife.

The moment he saw his mother's severed eyeball in that man's hand, Itachi clamped down a groan.

His brain felt like it was filled with stabbing kunai. And his eyes, he'd never felt so much pain.

It would be days later when Itachi, all alone, realized that his Sharingan had changed. It was what the old scrolls had called Mangekyo.

He had salvaged very little from the fires, but he had managed to bury his disfigured mother and father…and what the fires spared of his little brother.

He vowed vengeance that day.

He vowed he would be stronger than that pale man. He vowed he would step on that man's neck and carve his eyeballs out of his living head.

He was Uchiha. Nothing would stop him.

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Two Years Later (5 Years After the Great Unraveling)

It felt like she was flying. Yes, definitely flying. She opened her eyes, realized she wasn't dreaming, and began to struggle against whatever was keeping her arms and legs bound.

The flying stopped. The darkness around her head disappeared.

"You're awake."

Hyuuga Hinata blinked. "Yes. Where is my mother?"

"She couldn't take of you anymore. I have adopted you."

That didn't make sense to her. Her father was really strong. "Where's my father?"

"He was hurt with your mother. If they get better then you can go live with them again."

"Okay."

"Well, I'm going to put this hood back on you so you can sleep. It'll be getting light out soon."

Hinata didn't like the dark, but she didn't argue. "Thank you."

She was back in the dark, and flying again, and the story she had been told made no sense. Where were her mother and father? They were ninja. They were powerful.

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Sarutobi tried to clear his mind from all the awful news he'd gotten. Jiraiya had reported in that the entire Hyuuga had been slaughtered in Wave Country, where they'd been petitioning to form a hidden village.

The Wave Daimyo had apparently decided that his country's future lay not in ninja, but in shipping. He'd made a deal instead with the Gato Corporation. Sarutobi knew that man had a…less than shining reputation.

But the Hyuuga were slaughtered to a child. The eyes removed, the bodies charred beyond recognition.

Just like the Uchiha two years earlier in their makeshift private village in Lightning Country. All dead, all the known Sharingan possessors with their eyes cut out. Jiraiya was sure that that was Orochimaru's work

The Hyuuga…not even Jiraiya could guess at. There was too little evidence left behind. Orochimaru had left shed snake skin, like he didn't even care who knew.

He turned and began to walk through a park. Nature was good for restoring mental balance. This was a civilian park, rather than a military training ground, so it was filled with children.

He hadn't expected it, but he saw a bright shock of yellow hair near the swings.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Just another orphan tucked in among so many others.

Leading a happy life, as far as Sarutobi could tell. And he was watching. Every active duty chuunin now did a regular shift at the orphanage every few weeks. The children had competent watchers, in addition to the full time civilians, and got to be exposed to ninja every day.

It was an unorthodox recruitment method, as many little boys and a few girls declared they would become ninja, but it wasn't primarily done for that reason. The Hokage wanted Naruto – and the other children – kept safe.

The village was smaller now.

After the Great Unravelling nearly fifteen thousand civilians had left, almost a quarter of the village population. In the elapsed time, around five thousand new civilians had moved in.

It was a different place.

For the clans who'd remained in the Leaf, life was more integrated. The Aburame had mostly stayed as had the Yamanaka. All of them had integrated more into the overall Hidden Village. The few remaining Akimichi – those who had broken with the rest of their clan – didn't even bother living next to each other. (Instead, they had a favorite restaurant in town that served as a communal meeting hall.)

The Nara, predictably, found it too troublesome to leave, but had largely taken over the top positions in the ANBU division that dealt with civilian matters. Their clan techniques were quite effective in detaining any errant civilians…and without the cost of much effort.

The Inuzuka loyalty had kept them in Hidden Leaf, too. They filled many of the top spots among the Hunter-nin. Indeed, they had prospered by joining in with the community. Three Inuzuka had made small fortunes opening up public veterninary practices. The people of Konoha and Fire Country – not least the Fire Lord's wife – loved their animals.

However, for every 'clan ninja' working in Konoha, there were five or six non-clan ninja now. The head of ANBU, the top three in charge of the hospital, the jounin in charge of the academy…all non-clan.

Since they'd reformed some of the older practices of the Academy – namely 'graduating' 30 or so genin a year only to immediately fail 21 of them out of the shinobi lifestyle, claiming they were too old to rejoin the Academy – they had a lot more ninjas to go around. The Hidden Leaf finally had the strength, in pure numbers if not talent, it had before the Kyuubi's attack.

Sarutobi, over loud protest and several forced retirements, had declared that no jounin-sensei would be permitted to test and fail out a team. Instead, they would all witness a common skills test held for all potential genin. (The terrible practice of favoring clan members hadn't quite faded yet, but team compositions had shifted. There were no more 3-clan-member teams and 3-nobody teams. That much the Hokage could ensure.)

The Hokage felt embarrassed at all those years of wasted shinobi. Potential genin who'd been forced into a civilian life or to enroll in the samurai training program in Fire City. That was a lot of wastage ended…so many potentially excellent shinobi tossed out after all those years of training.

Sarutobi sat on a park bench and enjoyed the sun's warmth on his face. His head was covered with his special hat, but his eyes were fixed on the boy. He really looked like the Yondaime had when he was a boy. Over the years that boy grew and grew, like an out of control weed. Naruto was still a bit on the short side, but he made friends easily, it seemed, and enjoyed running, climbing trees, and causing chaos.

This anonymity had served Naruto well. The villagers as a whole did not pay attention to the orphanage…and none of the spies who penetrated Konoha (Sarutobi didn't kid himself to think that infiltration didn't happen once a month or more often, even if they had tightened up security) would ever think to look in the new orphanage for the village's most precious military secret, the boy who saved them all every day from the Kyuubi.

Naruto would start taking classes at the orphanage school in a few days…and would start at the Ninja Academy in two years.

The orphanage school was much improved in the last five years. The visiting chuunin often helped manage field trips outside the village walls to look at trees and plants or try to walk local wildlife. Naruto would have a chance to learn reading and writing. Math and bits of history and pride in the Fire Country. He'd be ready to attend the Academy on time.

The only thing that Sarutobi still wondered about was when Naruto should be told about his tenant. A part said just as soon as he started learning about chakra. If the Yondaime's seal worked as intended, and Jiraiya swore it would, the boy would have access to a massive store of chakra. Possibly, if he were trained correctly, an unlimited supply.

Another part cautioned him to hold off on telling the boy for a while. Until he made genin at least.

Sarutobi had already decided he would visit the boy personally – not just walk by or look at him in the park – when he began the Academy. He had had a good life so far it seemed. Sarutobi could give him a few more years of comfort. Given that Sarutobi had begun taking a more active role in the Academy the last few years, no one would think it odd for Sarutobi to visit with a few young students from time to time.

The boy wasn't yet a hero to the village – as the only people who knew of the boy's sacrifice weren't telling – but he would be someday.

Jiraiya had already stated he would be willing to train the boy in the future. Sarutobi was sure he would take to teaching the boy as well. Kami knew that the boy could become stronger then even the best jounin-sensei could handle.

Yes, that was settled. Sarutobi would take on a new student; one last student. And teach him all that he could, leadership along with the skills of a ninja. Strong in body, mind, and soul.

The new generation had the Will of Fire, Sarutobi would ensure it. One could only hope they wouldn't have to have a Heart of Stone. But…if it came to it, Uzumaki Naruto would be trained in that as well.

After all, Orochimaru was still out there with a few dozen sets of Uchiha eyes…and someone had killed and mutilated more than a hundred Hyuuga bodies. The world would be heating up in a few years, wouldn't it?

Uzumaki Naruto would need everything Jiraiya, Sarutobi, and anyone else could teach him. Everything.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
Edited 3/15/09

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Time Skip: 12 Years After the Great Unraveling

The Third Hokage smiled when he walked through the Academy door. It had been more than a decade since he'd retaken his former position as Hokage…and today his predecessor's son was graduating.

A bittersweet day, the best kind. Great sadness, intermingled with great hope. The dead could live on through their children, the legends that the young and alive would accumulate.

Even this Academy, nurturer of the young and alive, had risen from the proverbial grave. It was a different place from what Namikaze Minato would have remembered.

It had more students, for one, and fewer students being dropped between the 'potential genin' and genin stages. Jounin-sensei tests were abolished; instead, all prospective graduates were tested in front of all prospective jounin-sensei. No more sweeping shit under the rug.

Students passed on their own merits…or failed for lack of merit. No jounin-sensei could throw away a team for something nebulous, like 'lacking teamwork' after being together as a team for less than twenty-four hours. He also couldn't pass a team with two deadweights and one good genin in order not to fail that third member. Good riddance to bad practices.

Also, as much as it had saddened Sarutobi, the Academy now taught offensive and defensive techniques beyond hand-to-hand combat and distance projectiles. It had taken more than a few people pointing out how stupid it was for genin to be sent on missions without officially being required to know how to attack enemies or protect themselves. It made Sarutobi a bit sad to churn out so many child soldiers every year, but it was the way of the ninja. He wished they could have more time as children.

He walked into the gymnasium and took a seat in the first row. All the prospective jounin-sensei were here, even Kakashi (he'd required more than a few sessions with Ibiki to break him of his chronic tardiness).

The chuunin instructors brought the seventy-three examinees into the room. Some of them had attempted to pass before; all of them looked nervous.

Four pairs would spar at a time in front of the panel. Every jounin would take notes – strengths and weaknesses – about every candidate. The losers of the first round would get to fight other losers (so every person would get to fight at least twice). Winners would fight winners.

Everyone – even those in the losers' bracket – who demonstrated acceptable skill would pass this test. Those who failed would have to try again next year.

Sandaime smiled when Naruto took his turn against the young Inuzuka boy. Naruto remembered he was to use the standard Academy style, not the one he and the Hokage had been developing for him to use. That style must only be used against true enemies, training dummies, or various types of bunshin.

It was a straight taijutsu match. Naruto had speed, but the Inuzuka had a bit more strength and ferocity. There were no chakra attacks; no partner animals – so both were disadvantaged in some way.

But, as Hokage, he had declared that every ninja had to be able to defend him- or herself even when without a tool or partner or when ninjutsu or genjutsu weren't possible to use. If there were fundamental weaknesses in any candidate, they needed to be exposed early on and corrected – before those weaknesses got someone killed.

Uzumaki Naruto, the anonymous little orphan, had been told of his unique heritage only two years earlier when the Hokage invited the young man to start weekly lessons with him. The boy was a powerhouse; rather reminiscent of a young Jiraiya, but with more laughter and less leering at the kunoichi in his class.

Naruto finally flipped the Inuzuka into the air. The clan heir landed and had the breath knocked from him. That constituted a win in this spar – for Naruto.

To everyone present, it looked like both boys had taken the Academy lessons to heart. But the Hokage knew that he and his monkey summons had worked extensively with Naruto to build his physique and technique. After all, no eleven year old likes to get beaten into the ground by a two foot tall summoned monkey. Rather than continue to lose, he had learned and got better. And then Sandaime introduced Naruto to a stronger, four foot tall monkey.

His eyes turned to examine the other potential genin. The spars were good for the most part. Good speed, a bit of power; in all, a lot of potential waiting to be honed. The Sandaime was impressed with the entire cohort so far.

Ordinarily when there were physical powerhouses like Naruto, the Inuzuka boy, or Hyuuga Mishi (who would have been condemned to the Branch House, had it survived), it could discourage others. It seemed this group took it as a challenge.

In all, only five failed the taijutsu portion of the test…and all of them were first-time test takers. The Sandaime knew they'd do better next year, much better.

The second rounds went well, but were shorter for the most part. The first round had seen the students going all out to win. Some of them had little left in reserve. Naruto did well again…and he wasn't even breathing hard.

A few jounin-sensei were going to have implement extensive physical conditioning to get some of these students into proper field condition. Oh well, it was a part of serving as a jounin.

The Chuunin overseeing this portion of the test began to speak, congratulating all the students and then dismissing those few who had failed. He began to explain the next test, words Sarutobi had undoubtedly heard a dozen times already.

To Sarutobi's ears, it sounded of background droning.

His mind, instead, returned to this school. All those horrible revelations about the Academy had prompted change. As before, all prospective genin needed to demonstrate to the chuunin instructors their mastery over illusion clones, the replacement technique, and the disguise technique – but they did this to get their entry into this examination.

Now, they also needed to show a few more combat oriented techniques, which would be the next portion of the exam.

The part that generated the most complaints from the students were the 'community service projects,' formerly called D-ranked missions, that Academy students were now responsible for completing. Walking dogs, buying groceries, delivering large quantities of letters for a civilian message service, and picking up trash weren't their idea of proper ninja work…but it was good teambuilding and excellent community relations.

For the civilians who lived in the Leaf, it was a chance to interact with ninja, to humanize them in their minds. Sarutobi ruled the Leaf as an absolute dictator…but he was not a cruel man. He wished for the civilians here to understand and honor their ninja protectors.

On the matter of these complaints, Sarutobi did not believe that a requirement of fifty 'community service projects' each year per student was unreasonable. It was only a mission every few days…and they were all completed in teams of academy students, to build teamwork skills…and – let's not kid ourselves – those funds derived from the paid missions helped to keep the Academy in top condition.

Poor Naruto, though, held the dubious records for the most times catching Tora the Cat…along with the fastest time doing so. At least he wouldn't have to do so again once he became a genin…unless he wanted to pick up some spare change. The very idea made Sarutobi smile…Naruto and that silly cat.

The second part of the exam began…the technique portion. Each prospective genin needed to show offensive and defensive techniques beyond the 'standard three.' The few clan members in the group could show off clan techniques; some students proved how genjutsu could be used for defense (none of them had any mind techniques strong enough to be considered offensive). A small number used swords or other weapons as part of their demonstrations. Most used standard elemental techniques from the Academy scroll library.

When it was Naruto's turn, the Sandaime watched closely. Naruto had developed quite a lethal arsenal, small so far, but very powerful. In taijutsu, he was a speed player…but in his ninjutsu, he was a power hitter…

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Remembrance: One Year Earlier

The Sandaime Hokage looked at his young pupil and wondered how he was going to fix this.

He had spent a year wondering the same thing: how to give the boy control over his chakra. When the Sandaime first began giving Naruto a one-hour lesson each week, he quickly realized that Naruto had tons of chakra, more than Sarutobi even at his peak of 'youthful' vigor, but almost nonexistent control.

The standard control exercises – sticking leaves or bits of paper to one's body with chakra, climbing trees, and even water walking – did not do much for his control. He could climb a tree or a wall, but he expressed massive amounts of chakra to do it.

One year of failed attempts at chakra control. Sure the boy was learning taijutsu and other ninja skills, bit Sarutobi could see that the boy would be a ninjutsu specialist. But only if they could get his control in line; as it was, Naruto couldn't produce a single illusion clone and had difficulty tamping down his chakra to perform the replacement technique.

"Stop, go ahead and stop, Naruto," the Hokage called out. The young man stopped sparring against his monkey partner. He had obviously developed enough to handle a four foot monkey. He would introduce Naruto to a new sparring partner next week.

"Are we done then?"

The Hokage was about to say, "yes," when an inspiration struck. A conversation a few weeks earlier replayed itself in the Hokage's mind. He'd said 'no' then, but he decided he should try now.

"No, I have one more item. It won't take long at all, I suspect." He walked quickly into his home and found the item he was looking for. He picked it up with a pair of tweezers and hauled it back to Naruto.

"You want me to take notes or something, Old Man?" Naruto was confused at the small piece of paper.

"No. This is a different sort of test, a chakra affinity test. I am surprised I didn't remember about this earlier. We've exhausted the conventional control exercises, but we haven't even started on the elemental ones. If you already show a strong affinity to one of the elements, then we have a clear path to try to get you some control…."

"I get it. So I just touch the paper?"

"Touch it and channel some chakra through your fingers, Naruto."

The young man touched the paper and it immediately split into two pieces. Wind. How ironic.

"Hmm. Maybe my son was right. I spoke over your situation with him a few weeks ago and he mentioned his own troubles mastering his chakra. Asuma said that his chakra control problems once he began, as a chuunin, to work with elemental chakra. I said you were too young to try…but perhaps I was wrong."

"Alright. So what did that mean, Old Man?"

"You're a wind user, Naruto. A wild chakra affinity, hard to master, but even harder to defeat a wind master…."

"Alright!"

Sarutobi decided to modify the waterwalking exercise that day.

"We're out of time for the day, but here is your next assignment. You will stand above water. Start out with the water walking exercise and then raise a foot an inch. Begin to manipulate the air under your raised foot. Bring your other foot up…."

"What?"

"Yes, get one foot standing on hardened air. Then get the other foot to do it as well."

"Sounds impossible!"

"Who are you and what did you do with Naruto? He never says crap like that."

The young man sighed and then nodded. "I will figure it out. But…why do I have to start out over water?"

"Because, when you fall, and you will fall a lot, you'll get wet. Consider it…motivation!"

"Old Man, I'll do it, but I'm going to get you back for this! I promise."

"I've heard it before. Be on time next week, too…."

"It was Konohamaru who stopped me in the house. He demanded that I teach him how to throw a kunai…."

The Sandaime just nodded and sent the boy on his way.

It took several weeks of the boy being completely soaked through before he was consistent standing above the water. It took a few more weeks to get him walking on the air, rather than the ground.

The boy walked in for his next lesson, walking an inch off the ground as was now his standard practice. Indeed, Naruto rarely set foot on the earth. It looked like normal walking, but it wasn't. Naruto now left no footprints.

As he practiced his chakra control every time he set foot out of his apartment – which comprised most of every day, as he was a terribly active young man – Naruto got a hundred hours a week of control exercises.

"Did you practice with the Kage Bunshin technique I taught you last week?" the Hokage asked. It was a reward for getting his chakra control problems in line.

"Yeah. It's pretty great, Old Man. I've got the Henge working with the Shadow Clones, too. I left my Shadow Clones out yesterday in some of the training grounds disguised as rocks and stuff. You wouldn't believe what I heard out there… I'll be a great spymaster some day…."

"Perhaps you will, perhaps. But onto new things…."

"Hold up there, I have something else to show you. I was practicing the other day and I made a great kind of mistake…"

"What were you practicing?"

"Oh. Uh, well, I was working on the Wind Sword…."

The Hokage was silent for a moment. "You have to stop sneaking into the Shinobi Archive, Naruto. You're not even a genin yet…"

"I know. But the Academy Library doesn't have any cool jutsu, does it?"

"Fine. What disaster did you cause?" the Hokage asked, with a small smile on his face.

"Huh? Disaster. No, it's awesome. Let me show you."

Naruto formed up a wind blade…and then seemed to lose control of it. The blade held even as it shot through the air.

A thin gash cut all the way through one of Sarutobi's fence posts.

"Nice, huh?"

"We have training dummies for that, Naruto, you don't need to destroy parts of my home…but, yes, that was nice. I'll hold back my ideas for next time. Let us explore what you can do with these wind blades that you shouldn't know about…."

By the end of the hour, Naruto could form up directly manipulated air and send it shooting across the distance between him and a stone training post. The thin line cutting through a wooden post became a deep gouge and a number of radiating cracks on a heavy piece of stone. Considering the size of the stone…it was quite an accomplishment for a 'mistake.'

It was another three weeks before Naruto formed up multiple blades, all at different heights from the ground, and created the first version of his Finger of God.

That name had given the Hokage fits.

"It's the kind of thing the God of Shinobi would do when he wanted to flick a bug away," Naruto said while resting up from an attempt at demolishing a stone pillar. "It's the Finger of God technique!"

"Stop coming up with stupid names, Naruto!"

"I like it. You helped me turn this into something, Old Man, so you get part of the credit! Whether you want it or not."

Sarutobi had tried to get his student to be serious, but the name stuck. The boy began naming all his techniques after the 'God of Shinobi.'

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Return to the Present

There, in front of the audience of chuunin, jounin and Hokage, Naruto made ten Shadow Clones, a true show of force. The jounin who knew the technique – not all of them had reserves allowing them to safely use Shadow Clones – were deeply impressed.

The young ninja standing in the auditorium turned toward one of the training logs set up for demonstrations. He made some odd, unfamiliar handseals…and four almost invisible chakra blades formed in front of Naruto and then propelled themselves into the log. It was an improvement over the original technique, but Naruto still called it the Finger of God.

The bottom of the training stump remaing. A few bits of the top were in large chunks. But the vast majority of the log was little better than sawdust now.

Such a strange, unknown technique got a few jounin talking. Sarutobi waved them silent.

The test continued. Naruto had obviously passed.

As did almost everyone else. Only seven more failed here. A very good result. Some years more than half the prospective genin failed this part. (Many selected techniques too difficult for their developing skills…and refused to select more appropriate skills when advised by their chuunin instructors. It was a ninja's right to fail, after all, in any rank examination. The chuunin couldn't force them to make better selections – and students who refused to take advice didn't deserve to be genins.)

The boring chuunin stood up again and explained the final portion.

Sarutobi was willing to leave the room at this point…but a ritual was a ritual.

This was a test of applied stealth. Each prospective genin was told the location of their hitai-ite and given five minutes to arrive there undetected by the chuunin patrolling the halls.

If they arrived – and the chuunin were going fairly easy on their pupils – they passed. It wasn't a well designed test, Sarutobi knew, rather it was a simplistic rite of passage. Still, the symbolism was important: knowing how to survive in a dangerous world was a prerequisite for work outside the village walls.

Only two pupils failed.

It was a very good crop.

As Naruto left the gymnasium he tipped his head to Sarutobi-sensei. He also bounced a bit more than usual as he inflated and deflated the small controlled air pockets he kept between his feet and the ground. The Hokage just smiled at the small acknowledgment.

Once the new genin left, the Sandaime gestured to the side of the gymnasium and the chuunin instructors led the way. The next phase was about to begin.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next door classroom had been set up to serve as a conference area. The prospective Jounin-sensei squabbled a bit over chairs and who would sit next to whom before the Hokage took his seat to begin the 'bidding' process.

"Well, with the genin from previous cohorts who need to be reassigned teams, we have a total of 81 genin to assign. I'll assume you have each written down your bid…specifically the proposed specialization of the team, if any, plus six or eight names of students you might like to teach." The Sandaime looked around.

All the jounin had been through this. A few new chuunin hadn't, but they hid their ignorance well. They were only there to offer advice anyway…or their thoughts on the new genin.

"Let's start with support-type teams? Medical teams and the like?"

Three jounin raised their hands and the bidding started there. These jounin knew who possessed the best chakra control in this group of genin.

Sarutobi nodded when the teams came together. He marked it all down on a scroll in front of him.

"Anyone wishing to put together tracking teams?" A few hands went up. The jounin presented their lists…and the teams got put together quickly. The Inuzuka quickly got snatched up by the former head of the Hunter Nins.

"How about infiltration or information retrieval teams?" A small number of jounin indicated that they wished to pass on their skills in this way. Three new teams were settled quickly.

Sandaime knew it was the next few categories that caused conflicts. Trackers were usually different from infiltrators. And none of those were usually best qualified for medic roles. However, heavy combat teams, stealth and assassination teams, and generalists often drew on the same types of people.

"How about stealth or assassination-typed teams?"

Only two hands rose up. Mitarashi Anko always wanted to start an assassination team…but her methods were a bit brutal, a bit like the former sensei she loathed so much. With the right people, she could be effective, but her last three students were up for reassignment – at their request – in this meeting.

"Anko, given what happened with your last team, you will be allowed to structure a generalist team. You will not use snakes at any point during training…nor will you intentionally wound any of your genin. Do you understand me?"

She looked pissed, but she lowered her hand.

The other jounin got his first choice.

"Alright, time for the fights. Heavy combat types?"

Six jounin raised their hands. And when they read off their lists, there was a lot of overlap. A lot. Naruto, for example, was on all six lists.

The boy had shown off his Shadow Clone…and Finger of God techniques.

Sarutobi Asuma, a wind user, one of the few in Konoha, seemed to recognize that the boy was already using elemental chakra – and wanted him without explaining precisely why. Sarutobi could read his brilliant, lazy son like an open book, however.

Mitarashi Anko wanted him, too. Her reason? She muttered, "cause he seems to like to blow shit up." But it was said loud enough that Sarutobi heard it. Naruto would be an excellent demolitionist…but he was so much more.

The other jounin expressed their reasons. It was getting ridiculous.

Sandaime blinked twice. "Hold on. Before the brawling starts, how many of the remaining jounin had Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Koh Moegi (the top kunoichi), or either of the two Hyuuga?"

Almost everyone's hand went up. Sandaime quickly went through and figured out how many wanted each of the remaining genin. A few teams were simple to put together. Yuuhi Kurenai, genjutsu mistress, had picked out the best of those who'd demonstrated genjutsu. Her team was to be an experiment in ensuring that everyone had complementary skills (genjutsu) supplemented by individuals strong in nin-, tai-, or kenjutsu.

But Naruto, the two Hyuuga, and the Nara boy were hard to place. It was frustrating that, save for Naruto, jounin still competed for clan children. Bah. If only they knew Naruto's true heritage, they'd be salivating even more. Son of the Yondaime; container of a demon with never ending chakra; a wind user with almost unparalleled potential.

Finally, as day finally succumbed to night, the bidding was over. The teams were made, most of the jounin were disappointed not to get their first choices but happy enough over all. Compromise, after all, was tough to live with.

The trick was to let people get what they wanted…while also ensuring that the teams were balanced…and that the right sensei was in charge of each team. Not only to teach what he or she knew to the newly formed teams, but to fix the holes and weaknesses in their specific students' training regimens.

A few of the jounin in this crew were almost out of chances since they weren't natural teachers and weren't improving on their methods of instruction. Mitarashi Anko was at the top of that list, actually. It really would be best if all jounin took a stint at the Academy when they were chuunin…perhaps it should be a new requirement. After all, aside from direct combat and running missions, a jounin's most important task was teaching and mentoring. Those with superior skills had to adequately pass them on to the next generation.

Food for thought, Sandaime mused as he walked from the room with the scroll listing the teams in his hand.

Konoha was becoming more and more like the place Yondaime always dreamed it could be. The traitors inside the walls had been gone for a long time…or at least as many as could be found.

But peace doesn't last. Sandaime realized that the enemies outside these walls would be regrouping. His greatest failure, his student Orochimaru, was likely plotting something horrifying…and Iwa still resented its loss in the last war…and Kumo, who knew what they were up to.

Jiraiya and the other spymasters would be in his office tomorrow for the intelligence briefing. He'd hear more about the threats soon. Tonight, a bit of sake and an early bedtime. Old bones were tired bones, after all.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Uchiha Itachi, the last of his clan, was known in Tea Country as Beguru the Hunter.

He had left the site of his parents' murder all those years ago with almost nothing. The clothing on his back, a few kunai, and no money.

As an ordinary boy, he was unable to get a job. As an Uchiha, he was unable to ask for help or accept a place in a state orphanage. As an avenger, he was unable to do anything but keep his body in shape and continuously improve his skills.

Hence, Itachi had become a hunter. At age eight, he cleaned out several caches of bandits in Lightning Country.

At age ten, he hunted nukenin with moderate bounties in Earth Country.

At age thirteen, he had blundered into a situation with an A-rank nukenin from Hidden Mist. Itachi walked away with several heads, those he targeted and the one he didn't expect.

Now, at age 17, he was in Tea Country, in a small village far away from where any nukenin might willingly go. It was where he came to heal after injuries and where he came to train in jutsu scrolls he stole from his targets…and other targets of opportunity.

Itachi had the most powerful technique known to the Uchiha, the Mangekyo Sharingan, but his first usage of it had scared him…bleeding from his eyes. He used his Sharingan eyes only when an opponent proved challenging, worthy of being viewed through his special eyes…or when there was a technique of such brilliance he had to learn it.

The rabble died with one of the nearly four hundred techniques he knew…that he'd stolen from ninja before he killed them.

He had no way of knowing if he was powerful enough yet, but his goal had never wavered: Orochimaru's death.

He'd finally learned the name of the ninja who rode on snakes three years ago. Finding the man to challenge him was difficult, which is why Itachi was still alive. At the age of 14, Orochimaru would have batted Itachi away and fed him to a snake.

But now…now Itachi was closer to his goal.

His last battle, one conducted in the deserts of Wind Country, gave him hope. His targets were a team of three nukenin, two from Grass and one from Waterfall. When he caught up to them, they were dead.

A squat, massive man stood over their bodies searching for something.

"You stole the kill from me," Itachi had said.

The ninja said nothing, but a massive…tail made from metal streaked out…and thudded into a kunai Itachi pulled out.

This man was worthy of the Mangekyo Sharingan. It glowed to life and began spinning inside his otherwise black pupil-less eyes.

The ninja had twisted around by this time. The sight of the eyes had stilled him. "You. Uchiha. You will be coming with me. I know someone who will be very interested in…"

"I think not." His eye shot out black fire. It was hot enough to burn even metal.

Then the whole…man went up in flames. A hatch opened…and a smaller man, an odd sort of man leaped out and away from the flames.

"What sort of trickery is this?" Itachi asked, not expecting the answer. He had never seen such a thing, having never spent much time in this part of the world.

The enemy ninja's response…had been a flamethrower. Somehow mounted in his arm. What kind of butchery was that?

Still, Uchiha Itachi, a master of fire techniques, was not impressed. He countered with his own Flame Breath technique.

The flamethrower was just slightly less powerful than his Flame Breath. It was a powerful machine. Itachi rolled out of the way and closely observed the…man. It seemed like filaments of chakra were emerging from his body in all directions.

Something was happening.

Itachi flickered away. The spot where he was came under attack by a mist of black looking sand.

That technique he had heard of.

One of the Kazekage had used that…the one who had disappeared all those years ago.

He had disappeared and gone to work with this…odd ninja?

The black sand danced every way. Itachi's could see every grain and predict what it would do. It also noticed an oddity about the black cloaked…ninja. He carried something on his chest. Armor? A weapon?

He threw a kunai and the ninja danced away, but not quite fast enough. It tore through the cloak, leaving the ninja's chest bare.

There really was an odd thing on that man's chest.

His hands flew into familiar seals…and a Fire Flame Dragon burst from Itachi's mouth. The moment it was out, Itachi was moving, using the fire as cover. He advanced three meters by the time the ninja dodged it.

The black sand blasted through the area where Itachi had last stood. It didn't matter. A kunai went through the odd canister in the man's chest. From his back, the sharp blade pierced through to his chest.

The Kazekage dropped to the ground…like his strings had been cut. Like a puppet.

Itachi finally realized. He had heard rumors a few years back about puppeteers in this part of the world.

Still behind the ninja, he calmly asked, "What was your name?"

"For one who killed me, know I am called Sasori. Akasuna no Sasori."

"You fought well." It was Itachi's highest compliment. Every powerful ninja he killed got him closer to Orochimaru.

When he'd left, Itachi had carried away the whole body, plus the Kazekage, plus the heads of the targets he had been chasing. He didn't head straight back to claim his bounties in Grass and Waterfall.

No, he went further into the desert…to Hidden Sand.

The looks of fear, awe, and calculation he received after turning in this Sasori and the body of their Third Kazekage were…unnerving. But he accepted the massive bounties, did not dispute that he had just killed an S-ranked ninja, and fled the village in the night.

He dropped the name he'd been using…and changed out his clothing for a completely new style.

Itachi knew it wouldn't be long now.

That ninja, Sasori, had fought Itachi – once he saw Sharingan eyes – not to kill, but to capture. Itachi fought to kill, a much easier proposition. Eventually Itachi wouldn't fight to kill…but to avenge, the highest calling he knew of.

He was improving. He had only four battles this last year that required his Sharingan…and he'd copied another seventeen interesting jutsu when he infiltrated various villages. For the most part, he was getting stronger by his own accomplishment.

When Orochimaru died, Itachi wouldn't honor that man with even a glimpse of his Sharingan eyes. He would be strong enough that he wouldn't need the Sharingan at all.

Orochimaru would never know why he'd died.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The informal Spy Council gathered in Sarutobi's office at seven-thirty in the morning, long before Jiraiya usually woke up to start peeping. But, like with Kakashi, Sarutobi did not permit any tardiness from any of his ninja.

Konoha had long neglected spying on its enemies and allies. Jiraiya had done some work on his own during his travels, but he was mainly focused on news about Orochimaru. Only in the last three to four years had this handful of people finally gotten several independent networks going – focused on all threats, foreign and domestic.

Jiraiya, Umekoto, and Famata ran external fixed contact networks: which meant they had spies in the various hidden villages and in other parts of the elemental countries. Using various means – Jiraiya used his toad summons to collect and forward reports – they collected all the publicly available information. Who had fallen out with whom, details about crop harvests, industrial capacity, and all sorts of other boring things that could eventually mean a lot.

Some of their spies also had access to more classified information which they passed along when they could safely do so. For example, the news that the Raikage's cousin, and likely successor, had been debilitated while developing a new lightning jutsu. The political winds had shifted there as a result; the pacifist successor candidate was out and the new one hadn't been made public yet.

The intelligence gathering inside Fire Country required more direct resources. One member of Ibiki's ANBU department supervised the capture and interrogation of missing ninjas who ventured into Fire Country. Given that Hidden Leaf had more than two hundred active genin teams, plus twenty-three hundred chuunin, and another nine hundred jounin-level ninja, Fire Country was filled with ninja paying attention to the coming and going of everyone.

Most properly motivated Missing Nin would reveal a lot about their former homes…and other places they'd visited. Not everything would be true, but it could be used to verify or confirm other intelligence.

A retired shinobi named Mata ran the small group that tracked and monitored merchants passing through Konoha. Trade patterns were a very useful method for verifying upcoming intelligence trends. Merchants who'd suddenly stopped going to Rain sent up a red flag that something bad was happening there.

The other three people in the room were active ANBU operatives and in full masks. Each of them ran programs to root out spies within Hidden Leaf. Orochimaru had managed to place a surprising number here…as had many other Hidden Villages.

"Jiraiya called this meeting," the Sandaime said, as soon as he walked in the door. "Let's start with his update."

The Toad Sage nodded, looking rather upset. "It's taken a decade but I've finally figured out where Orochimaru is."

Sandaime, among others, leaned forward in frustrated curiosity.

"He founded a Hidden Village in Rice Country. I've heard that it's called Sound. Kumo seems to be a sponsor of some sort."

The grumbling was quite loud. This wasn't the tonnage of vegetables produced in Hidden Waterfall and trying to guess what it might mean for the future. This was real, valuable intelligence.

The question, though, was what to do with it?

Sandaime asked the first question, "This information is verified?"

"I have pictures of one of the 'installations.' Orochimaru was there."

One of the counter-espionage heads said, "We have been tracking a seeming genin named Kabuto. He's the adopted son of the head of Konoha Hospital. He's also been to Rice Country on four missions in the last eight months…."

"And we've only had four missions to Rice Country in that time, right?" Jiraiya asked.

A nod was the only reply. The group focused on counter-espionage knew what this likely meant.

"Who is this Kabuto's jounin sensei?"

"Atakagi Miu," replied the counter-espionage specialist.

"Investigate him and the other teammates. Do a careful review of the hospital administrator. Let's have a discrete surveillance started as well," Sandaime said. "It's awful that the more we look the more we find."

The torture ANBU said, "Why would he build a hidden village? What does he want?"

Jiraiya made to speak, but Sarutobi held up his hand.

"He wants people to experiment upon…and another way to power…and perhaps a platform for attacking us," Sandaime said. "I have spent a decade thinking on him, on my mistakes. We must strike him in a way he won't be able to predict."

The meeting continued for another hour with the more ordinary reports. It gave the Sandaime a lot to consider. Konoha's enemies outside its walls were getting stronger.

Their wrath would come eventually.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

That Sunday afternoon was quite sunny…and Naruto had too much energy, as usual.

"Stop bouncing, boy," the Sandaime said to his student.

"Yes, Sensei." He was still bouncing on the controlled air pocket underneath his feet. Even during training, Naruto knew to keep developing his chakra control. He would never be able to train as a medic nin or genjutsu specialist, but he was getting quite adept with wide area techniques.

"You made genin and will have a great jounin-sensei in Yamanaka Inoichi."

"I know. He seems like he knows a lot."

Sarutobi had a slight scowl now. Naruto was still bouncing. "He served in the ANBU for many years. He's a master of the mind…but his teams are very strong, very physical. He has trained three great teams now. You will do well to…. Naruto, stop bouncing."

"I'm too excited. I'm a genin! My first mission will begin tomorrow!"

"Fine. You want to bounce. I'll beat it out of you." Sarutobi made a number of handseals and slammed his blooded hand to the earth. A five foot tall monkey appeared in a plume of smoke.

"Honored Sarutobi, how may I assist you?"

"My student here needs a sparring partner. Show him a few things."

"It would be my pleasure," the monkey said, bowing. Then he turned to Naruto…and withdrew a bo – or staff weapon – from out of nowhere.

Naruto barely ducked the first blow…and was hit by the second.

The monkey was a bit taller than Naruto, but it hit a lot harder than Naruto could. The young ninja didn't cry out. No, he seemed to bite his tongue and get into the sparring.

Ten minutes later a bleeding Naruto lay on the ground, smiling a bit but no longer bouncing.

"Is that out of your system?" Sarutobi asked his student.

"Yes…Old Man." For as battered as he was, he wasn't even out of breath.

Sarutobi smiled at his summon and thanked him, dismissing him.

"Well, shall we finally get down to work?"

"How am I ever going to beat him?" Naruto asked absently as he got back to his feet.

Sarutobi laughed. "Yes, Mirami is a tough one. But you said much the same thing when you first met Kiki…and again when you were bested by Todai. Remember, though, after Mirami there are several more…until you must finally learn to fight the Monkey King."

"Really?" For some odd reason, that perked Naruto right back up. A strange boy, but an interesting one.

"If you start bouncing again, I'll introduce you today. Both my teachers were surprised when they met Enma…he could fight them hand-to-hand at the same time…and he was as old then as I am now."

"He's an antique then, Sensei."

Sarutobi didn't rise to the bait. "Naruto, show me this new technique."

"Yes, Sensei."

The young genin didn't bother with his mystifying fake seals in front of his sensei. All that he had been developing relied upon direct manipulation of air chakra…it was as if the air wanted to respond to him, like he was a magnet commanding metal filings wherever and however he wanted.

Sarutobi watched the tiny signs that wind chakra was forming up. Slight rippling distortions…it seemed like the Finger of God all over again…how was this different….

Then the earth exploded in front of Sarutobi. Quite a bit pelted his clothing and landed in his hair, now that he wasn't wearing his ceremonial hat. A deep, circular trench formed in his once-whole training ground.

"What…. Naruto, how did you use wind chakra to do this? And how have you been practicing without the ANBU noticing?"

The blonde boy smiled. "Well, Sensei, the Fist of God is a whole bunch of wind blades, in a circle around my target. Then I send them at the target, wave after wave, at an angle. The air only goes in so far, but then the next blade goes in further. And then, finally…it looks like a giant's angry fist smashed down into the earth…."

Sarutobi nodded. "That it does. Now, where have you practiced this…technique?"

Naruto fidgeted a bit and then mumbled.

"Excuse me? Speak more clearly!"

"I said, I went into the Forest of Death…just the very outside part."

That could have been a disaster, the Hokage realized. It wouldn't do at all for Naruto to be injured just so he could have some privacy to develop a technique.

"Not again, do you understand? Not there. I will…find some place private and safe. At our next meeting, I will have an answer for you."

"Thank you, Sensei."

"I am just amazed, Naruto. It felt like a strange Earth Style technique…or maybe someone burying exploding notes underground. I…wonder. What do you expect to do with this technique?"

Naruto got a bit bashful here. He seemed so old with the other students; and so young when he was alone with the Hokage. The Sandaime wondered which, if either, was the true Naruto.

"I didn't have a purpose when I tried it…but it'd be awesome for making a trench or taking out a powerful, slow moving enemy…or…I guess I could make a swimming pool if I ever get a house."

The Sandaime bopped Naruto on the head with his pipe. "Be serious. We only have a few minutes left today."

"Yes, Sensei."

"Now that I think about it…this could be a useful technique. Next week we will go to…a spot more receptive to being blown up. We shall experiment a bit. Until then, Naruto…no more work on this. I think it is time you learn a few more defensive techniques, right? Your arsenal leans pretty heavy towards 'kill everything now.'"

"That's true, Sensei." Naruto said, proud as could be.

"Now then, you will work on an Earth style and a Water style defense. That should give you a nice challenge after spending so much effort on the wind. Pick two that seem interesting from the Shinobi Archive. I know you know your way around the place…since you've been sneaking in for two years…. Go in through the front door this time, right?"

"I will!"

Sarutobi gestured the young ninja away…while he lapsed into thought. He was thought of as the strongest ninja in the village – and likely still was – but he had always seen himself as a teacher, up until the Nidaime's death. It felt good to teach again.

In the past, he'd just spoken with his ninja about their experiments and offered a few hints here and there. Like with Kakashi. He'd seemed perfectly content with his Chidori as it was…but the Sandaime had pushed him a bit and asked him several questions Kakashi couldn't answer.

Last the Hokage had heard, Kakashi was working on his Chidori again.

That made Hokage glad…after all, a complacent ninja was a dead ninja.

But, while little bits of mentoring like that were nice, teaching more actively made him feel young again. Happy.

Why had he waited for so long to try this…. Then he remembered the face of a pale genius of a ninja. A twisted man that Sarutobi had helped become powerful – to everyone's detriment.

Naruto wasn't Orochimaru, though. He was the Will of Fire personified…with a smiling, goofy, undignified face.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Hinata remembered her name. She remembered the face, but not the name, of her mother. She knew she had a younger sister, but could not remember what she looked like. Her father seemed a distant blur in her memory.

For the last seven years, she had lived in this…strange building.

Her guardians were curt, but they did not hurt her.

Until that day when they took her into a cold room she had never seen before. She was made to undress and her feet were placed in cold metal socks…or something. Then a woman doctor parted her legs and locked them into place while she…examined her…down there.

The doctor had pushed something inside her. Hinata had been made to stay in that uncomfortable position for…hours.

Then she'd redressed and been given dessert for dinner that night.

Four months later she had become fat. When she asked her guardians if she was eating too much, she was told she would be having a baby.

A baby? How would she have a baby?

They did not explain. They did not tell her how long it would be…or that it would hurt…or that once she had her baby she would never get to see him again.

Now she was pregnant again. Her belly was fat. She remembered that she was twelve years old now…and her name was Hinata. But, beyond that, she didn't know anything.

But she didn't want to have a baby again and not be able to see him or her.

She needed to do…something…besides cry.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The Sandaime enjoyed many parts of his job, especially watching the young shinobi grow stronger. The young Inuzuka boy had grown by leaps and bounds once he got away from books and began doing practical missions.

Naruto…well, he was a genius of hard work. Had the Sandaime had the sorts of chakra control problems and such in his past that Naruto once did, it was unclear whether he'd have grown as strong as he did. But…Naruto was becoming a ninja worthy of praise.

Less worthy of praise, however, was politics. The Hokage had never loved the political parts of his job…such as meeting with the Fire Daimyo.

Since the Council had been dissolved the man came himself once or twice a year to review the Hidden Village. Within Fire Country, they were equals under the law. But, the Daimyo knew he could throw a samurai army against the Hokage and still lose.

The Hidden Village had power…and both sides knew it. The Daimyo, a retired Samurai, needed to keep good relations with the ninja leader. This was one of those trips.

The Sandaime stood as the Daimyo entered his office, greeting the shorter, heavier man as an equal. The Hokage's flicked down to the mission summary on his desk. He'd been keeping tabs on Naruto again. Normally a C-rank mission report wouldn't even touch his desk. But…the Sandaime had asked Inoichi for a personal copy of each report.

Naruto was coming along nicely; so far it seemed that Sandaime had picked the right sensei for the boy. Yamanaka Inoichi was a taskmaster, a perfectionist…and the almost exact opposite of Naruto, when on a mission. It was good for Naruto to learn from someone who wouldn't put up with his antics…as the Sandaime often did. Discipline wasn't one of the things that the Sandaime excelled in teaching, unfortunately.

"How have you been Daimyo-sama?"

"Well. Very well. Now that that business in Wave is done with, I have many fewer problems."

The Daimyo apparently wanted…that kind of a conversation. He was here to extract secret information. "I understand. Trade is the lifeblood of a nation, is it not?"

"It was a good thing you did. A team of four jounin to clean up that Gato mess…."

Of course, the Daimyo's spies had found this out. The ninja Sarutobi sent to deal with the Gato Corporation hadn't used cover names. "It wasn't client requested, of course, but it will pay for itself. Wave used to be a very good customer up until a few years ago…then that moron moved in. With our Good Neighbor policy, we had to take action."

"And, of course, you'll never comment on what happened to the billions Gato was rumored to have?"

Sandaime smiled. He hammed up being very old, infirm, and deaf. "Excuse me, sir, but you'll have to speak up? My great old age has robbed me of my hearing."

"Fine, then, I'll just have to lop off a chunk of funding in honor of your 'windfall.'"

The joking threat meant nothing to Konoha. Less than two percent of Konoha's budget came from the 'Daimyo's largesse.' Indeed, since he had formed an illicit 'wealth retrieval team' seven years – one that stole money from bandits, yakuza, thieves, and the very wealthy who chose to live outside Fire Country – he had no problem balancing his budget.

"If you need the money for other projects, Daimyo-sama, feel free. We've been completely profitable for seven years laying aside your subsidy – but not the fees for the missions we perform for you."

The heavy set man nodded, a bit weary. "I think I knew that. Having a bit of a reserve in case of trouble is a smart idea."

The man was trying to get an idea of how much Konoha was sitting on. Sarutobi wasn't about to speak on that topic. "We will likely be coming up against some difficulties soon, I fear. The rumors are flying about old alliances falling apart…and new ones coming together."

"A bunch of the weak coming to attack the strongest?"

Sandaime nodded. "Ever since we assassinated the Mizukage…unofficially, of course…and stopped that awful civil war, other hidden villages have been leery of us."

"You've also dealt with the thugs in Water, Wave, and five other countries. That Gato fellow, Kuroken the arms manufacturer, and Yanzo of Yanzo Pharmaceuticals, the largest drug king pin of his time. Ought to send some shivers down some backs."

The Daimyo's spies had obviously uncovered less than ten percent of the Hokage's recent 'wealth retrieval' activities. The list was much longer and more star studded than these. "It was inevitable. But we couldn't be strong when our borders were so weak."

The Daimyo nodded and reached for a cup of tea. "I won't ask for details. I do understand security concerns, after all. But I was curious if you'd heard anything from your friends in Hidden Rain? I haven't heard from their Daimyo in some time either, even though he is supposed to host the next Chuunin Examination. And I've not gotten a letter from their military head for some time."

Sandaime shook his head. "I have not heard from Hanzo in quite some time. He's nearly as old as I am…and even gave my students the title of the Legendary Three Ninja. We have heard about disruptions in merchants coming and going…."

"And that is often the first we know about a civil war," the Daimyo said. "I will snoop around with the other Daimyo's and see if anyone else is willing to have their country host the examinations…."

"Much appreciated."

The conversation continued for another hour on lighter topics, but Sandaime was more concerned than ever about Hidden Rain.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

One month after the Fire Daimyo's visit, Sandaime got a coded letter…and the implications were not good.

Sandaime pointed to the ANBU stationed in his office. "Please find me Jiraiya. He should be within a day's walk by now…but I need to move up our meeting."

The badger-faced ANBU nodded and quickly left the room.

It was that afternoon when he was able to convene his Spy Council once more.

"The Fire Daimyo has basically been forced by the Wind and Lightning Daimyo's into hosting the Chuunin Exam…."

"But it's not our turn in the rotation," Jiraiya said.

"Precisely why I called this meeting. Hidden Rain is out of contact and unable to meet its obligation. Instead of heading to the next village in the rotation, two Daimyo's who positively hate each other have banded together…possibly at the request of the Kazekage and the Raikage…and asked the Fire Daimyo something strange. Odd things that rarely happen…are happening." Sarutobi did not like this one bit.

"People are looking for a reason to have lots of foreigners in Konoha. Spy missions or worse," said Jiraiya's colleague Famata. "I have not heard anything about this yet, but in the weeks to come I may."

"And if you don't," Jiraiya said, "then your network and mine might be compromised. I've discovered one purveyor of misinformation already. Seems Orochimaru knew what to look for when setting up his own counter-espionage operations."

"That would give us less than nine months to figure out what this means and…prepare for the unknown," Sandaime said. "I don't like it. I don't like risking the village and the twenty-five thousand mostly defenseless civilians here, plus our ninja forces, just to see what Orochimaru and his allies are up to."

One of the counter-espionage agents finished reading the letter and passed it along. "I should report that the ANBU watching the 'genin' called Kabuto were attacked. One died and two are badly wounded."

"Damn," Jiraiya said. "Orochimaru must have cracked some of my codes. I was having an agent discretely ask around about this Kabuto. He had spent a good deal of time in Hidden Sand at one point."

"I will send the paperwork to have him declared Enemy of the State," the Hokage said. It was a far more dire designation than just Missing Nin. It was used for infiltrators and betrayers…people who deserved no trial and should be killed in the field.

The room fell silent while the rest read the Daimyo's letter. A few began talking quietly about the situation while most of them just tried to digest what all this might mean.

Eventually Jiraiya got a smile on his face.

"Village Hidden in the Leaves," he said.

Sandaime looked at his former student with impatience. "Yes, that's where we are."

"No, that's what we're called. But we're not actually very hidden. Hidden Waterfall has its entrance hidden by a waterfall. Hidden Cloud is so high up in the mountains that usually clouds obscure the view. In comparison, we're just sitting out in plain sight."

"We can't hide the village," someone muttered.

"We can and we will," Jiraiya said. "We have someone with the transplanted Mokuton bloodline. We can make the forest more dense, change the roads leading in and out of Hidden Leaf…but make sure that they reach a decoy of a town, a second Konoha, the one that will be attacked."

"How would that work? The maps of Fire Country show the roads very clearly," Famata said.

"We will have to stage something that makes our changes plausible. A natural disaster…perhaps a large scale forest fire."

"But how do you fake a new Hokage Monument? It's impossible!" asked one of the masked ANBU.

"We grow a new mountain if we need to. We will protect this village."

Sandaime looked worried and interested at the same time. "It will be difficult to keep a secret like that from tens of thousands of civilians who expect to be able to leave the village whenever they wish…plus many thousand shinobi."

"Hey, the idea just occurred to me. I didn't say it was perfect or that it would be easy."

The room fell into silence. It was an appealing idea on many levels. A trap designed to destroy the enemy and leave Konoha proper out of harm's way. Conceptually elegant, it would be very challenging to pull off.

This meeting drug on long into the night before a consensus was finally reached.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Nine Months Later

The 'Kazekage' had a big smile on his normally grim face when he finally sighted Konoha. It had been a long, dry trip from Suna (twice as long as the journey from Oto to Konoha), but he had to keep up appearances lest he tip his hand to what he'd done to the real Kazekage.

He had enjoyed chasing and nearly capturing the third year genin Uchiha Momoru, one of the very last Uchiha. Sure he'd slaughtered the rest of the clan himself…all to gain their very special copying eyes. Possessing their eyes, as Orochimaru now did, wasn't as useful as he'd hoped. Many of them were ruined because of poor extraction. What few were appropriate had to travel a long distance between where they were harvested and where they could be implanted in Orochimaru's experiments. He'd wound up with only a single transplant…and that host was supremely weak. Sickly, barely able to leave the restricted hospital ward. Too bad most orphans contract diseases that damage them for life.

Orochimaru wasn't willing to live in a weak host, not even for the Sharingan.

Unfortunately his hunt in that dense pocket of forest for Momoru had gone south when three teams of ANBU showed up. It seemed his former sensei Sarutobi wasn't as senile as was generally believed.

It hadn't taken him long to understand that the ANBU had been monitoring chakra output throughout the forest. Orochimaru's summonings of snakes and other high level jutsu had stuck out like a sore thumb.

No matter. He would get his chance to 'gift' Uchiha Momoru with the Cursed Seal in time.

He walked through the streets and thought that Konoha had really gone all out. This place probably hadn't looked this clean since the Shodaime Hokage built the place in one night. The streets, the walls, everything…immaculate. The genin teams had likely been doing cleaning missions for months inside the village…oh, right, it was now Academy students who did such work.

His spies were nothing if not thorough.

Konoha had really gone to some trouble. Outside the walls they'd even fixed up the former pathway…and had someone grow in some new trees, extra massive and imposing. Who knew who they were trying to impress…but the town would be in cinders in a few short hours.

The 'Kazekage' looked around and was able to see where the wall had been destroyed during the massive earthquakes preceding the Kyuubi attack more than a decade earlier. The wall looked strong, but a failed section, even repaired by the best, was always a weakness. Suna would attack from outside through that segment of wall.

The massive snake summons would create a second front in another part of the village. His backers from Hidden Cloud had declined to attack Hidden Leaf directly, but they were setting up a cordon ten miles out to keep anyone from escaping or any reinforcements from getting in.

It would be the most lovely sort of slaughter. He licked his lips in anticipation.

His former sensei dead…for depriving him of the Hidden Leaf he'd deserved to rule. The villagers slaughtered; the buildings on fire and in ruins; all the ninja of the most powerful ninja force around killed. Three armies with a combined force of ten thousand could always defeat one army with perhaps five thousand. Simple mathematics…plus Orochimaru had surprise on his side.

He looked around as his disguised Sound ninja waited patiently to pass through ineffective security screenings. Some posed as merchants wishing to trade; others as ninja from Grass or other Hidden Villages wishing to see the Tournament; others as wishing to visit people who lived in Hidden Leaf.

The army from Sand was gathering; the army from Cloud would begin the land blockade in two hours. There would be no survivors.

After getting settled into the arena thirty minutes before the tournament began, the 'Kazekage' was joined by his former mentor, Sarutobi. The two chatted briefly.

The arena filled up rapidly once the doors to the general public opened. Orochimaru's Sound ninja made up probably ten or twenty percent of the audience; it was hard to tell as general tickets were sold by lottery.

The first matches began as an odd ninja named Rock Lee went up against one of Sound's best genin, Dosu. The green clad ninja pounded the ever-loving Kami out of Dosu. He just wouldn't stay put long enough for a sound attack to work against him.

Too bad this Rock Lee would soon be dead. Speed like that wasn't something many ninja ever developed.

Orochimaru watched and gloated but never thought about his men outside. His Sound ninja, disguised in many different ways, found a few dozen impenetrable barriers throughout the city. These checkpoints were definitely not on their maps.

"Excuse me, my friend lives four blocks down that way," a disguised ninja said.

The guard shook his head. "Sorry. We had an assassination attempt on the Hokage last night. We didn't have enough time to postpone the Chuunin Exam finals otherwise the whole village would be locked down."

The Sound ninja was rather nervous. It felt like someone had tipped their hand. Not good, not good at all. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Rumor is the assassin was from Iwa."

The Sound ninja nodded and hoped that this unexpected interference wouldn't screw things up too badly.

"Can I at least get a message through so my friend will come and meet me?"

"You can use a telephone. That hotel over there has some on the ground floor."

"Thank you."

Of course, the Sound ninja's friend didn't exist…except as a convenient excuse for getting close to one of Hidden Leaf's armories and destroying it at the proper time.

Back in the stadium, Orochimaru leaned over and said, "This kunoichi is better than I would have expected. She was a rookie genin?"

Sandaime Hokage just smiled and nodded. "She's quite good."

"Much has changed since I was last here. Indeed, even the road paths and such seem different."

The Hokage nodded. "We had a dry summer and then a series of lightning storms. We lost almost seventy acres of our forest, so we had to reroute the roads while we extinguished the fires. We haven't bothered to repair the old destroyed roads yet. It was touch and go for a while, the flames got within a few hundred meters of the northern walls."

"I see."

"Plus a different route is better for security anyway. Should have done that years ago."

"In Suna, we have no trees to hide behind."

"But it's probably easier to hide in the sand, especially with the powerful wind users you possess."

The 'Kazekage' just nodded. Gaara's match was approaching. That would set off the whole thing.

The wait was delicious torture.

Gaara arrived on the arena floor and began tearing into his opponent, a nobody named Uzumaki. The only thing…was that Gaara wasn't doing any damage to the boy. The boy had managed to block a variety of attacks…and even harm the sand jinchuuriki, but he had taken no damage himself.

What sort of ninja was this boy? Even Orochimaru would have a tough time dealing with that sand….

His intelligence network back into his old home had kept many things from him, it seemed. Sarutobi had been ruthless in ferreting out spies. Who knew the kind hearted man had it in him.

The 'Kazekage' gave the signal and the Sound ninja began casting the sleeping genjutsu. It seemed to catch even Sarutobi for a moment before the old man's brow furrowed and he looked around.

"Now what could that be," the old Hokage wondered aloud.

"Your death, old man."

The 'Kazekage' grabbed onto the old man and jumped to the top of the arena. His bodyguards soon appeared and trapped the pair inside an impenetrable shield.

"Nice to see you, my student. I had wondered when you'd show your face again."

"You knew?" This had Orochimaru stumped. How? How was this result possible? He lunged forward to attack.

"I have good people working for me, Orochimaru. I trust them and they prove time and again that they've earned my trust. We've been tracking you for years and know a lot of your secrets. We weren't sure exactly what you intended for us…but bringing a crazed jinchuuriki sure makes it clear, right?"

"Die, old man, die!"

One lunge with his Grass Cutter cut into Sarutobi and a massive quantity of blood began to spurt out. Lots more blood than should have been possible. When the droplets flicked into Orochimaru's clothing, they began to burn. Quickly, efficiently, right down to the skin.

"A blood clone. You planned a counter-attack to my invasion?" Orochimaru couldn't understand what had happened.

"Nine months to prepare…and my advisors are insane, but insane geniuses. This isn't even Konoha, but a mockup made for you…" That was all the blood clone was able to say before it exhausted its chakra. All the remaining blood scattered. Orochimaru's face began to burn.

"Retreat. It's a trap."

Unfortunately for the invading army, Orochimaru was just about the last person to discover this fact.

Using tons of cow blood laced with acids and poisons, the entire mockup of Konoha was staffed with blood clones. None of them defended themselves when attacked. A single bleeding clone could take out a dozen nearby attackers.

Then the various sewer grates began pumping out a powerful knockout gas. Only moments later the army from Suna burst through the walls…and were confronted with the devastation in front of them.

Their general ordered a retreat, but anyone inside the walls found they couldn't leave. Some sort of massive sealing array allowed everything in…and nothing out.

Thirty-seven minutes after the 'invasion' begun, every attacker was dead or unconscious. It took a few more hours to deal with the Cloud ninja who were attempting a blockade.

By three o'clock in the afternoon, all the survivors were in special cells in the newly constructed prison complex built underneath the mockup of Konoha, the place where all the real ninja had been waiting to attack their enemies.

The hardest to hold were that Gaara ninja who'd fought a blood clone of Sarutobi's (under a henge to make him look like Naruto) and Orochimaru himself. Both cells were rigged with poison gas should either attempt to escape. It wasn't very humane…but neither was attempting to invade and destroy a village.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

A few days later, Sarutobi had the medic nins stop the intravenous drip that kept Orochimaru unconscious.

He wanted to see his student. He wanted to get some answers.

Two hours later Orochimaru was conscious and trying to escape. Sarutobi created a blood clone and watched the interrogation from the safety of his office. A scrying stone was useful for things other than peeping, after all.

The clone's mere presence might be enough to enrage his former student.

"Wake up, little snake, I know you're awake," the blood clone said.

Eventually the heavily wounded Snake Sannin lifted his head as much as he was able and opened his eyes.

"Gloating doesn't work for you, sensei."

"No gloating. Just time for interrogation."

"You would stoop to do such a thing yourself?"

"Jiraiya begged for the opportunity, but I wanted to see if you'd be reasonable before giving him the chance to crush you with his toads."

Orochimaru tried to laugh, but it hurt too much.

"I was a fool to coddle you so much, my student. I was the genius of my generation and so I favored the genius of your generation…but it was Jiraiya who proved to be the best ninja. I wish you had been a better person, a trustworthy person. I would have loved to made you Hokage, but Namikaze was an exceptional ninja and loyal to the village."

Hatred filled Orochimaru's already ugly visage. "I deserved it."

"No, you were on the path to earning it, then you fell from the path. There is a difference."

Orochimaru became quiet then. He was obviously plotting something.

The blood clone wasn't getting to the core questions Sarutobi wanted answered…but there was no way to control one directly. Safety at the cost of frustration.

"The Sharingan, Orochimaru. It was worth enough to kill all those people?"

"Not yet it isn't. My techniques weren't good enough…yet."

"That poor genin you batted around in the forest…you were going to kidnap him?"

"Something like that, yes."

Sarutobi, watching from his office, wondered why Orochimaru would admit to something like that. It must be part of a plan. A cooperative Orochimaru…might seem like a broken Orochimaru.

But he'd prove himself defiant in the end.

"Hmm. I also had heard you'd given up your solitary ways…and joined a little social club, one that liked black cloaks with red clouds on them."

"Ku ku ku. You've heard of Akatsuki, then? Jiraiya is twice the fool I thought he was."

To Sarutobi, that made no sense. Why was Jiraiya a fool for discovering them?

"What would you want enough to put up with other people?"

"I want…and will always want power. I used them to view…and steal other methods, other types of power. They were mere puppets for my plans."

"And yet you're in this room with me…and they're still alive."

"But you will not be! I will destroy you." Somehow, even with his head restrained, he was able to propel a long tongue out of his head and snap off 'Sarutobi's' head. The blood clone squirted for a few seconds before disappearing.

The Sandaime Hokage knew he'd never get anything from Orochimaru alive…so it was time to end this and send that diseased body off to the experts. Perhaps they could figure out all the things he done, the places he'd been.

Sitting in his office, with a small tear in his eye, he pressed a button.

Seconds later, Orochimaru's cell filled with a poisonous purple gas. The health monitors on Orochimaru's body reported it took him five minutes to succumb to poisons which were usually fatal within seconds.

Even still, he left the room filled with gas for another hour before he had the room cleared. He didn't know what sort of surprises Orochimaru could pull.

The medical orderlies who retrieved the man's body were under orders to behead him before removing the restraints. Even Orochimaru would find it hard to function without a brain, right?

Sarutobi watched as the beheading happened and then a snake-like worm shot out of the body. Thankfully more than one of the med nins had been expecting something odd. A quick electrocution jutsu and the worm stopped moving.

Sarutobi had shivers down his back. His former student had experimented on others, destroying them. He had done…something…to himself, turning his true form into a giant, mobile snot ball. What was wrong with him? How had he gone so foul?

Now Sarutobi turned his attention to the Suna and Kumo ninja. What to do with them? Kill them…ransom them back to bankrupt their home nations…slap seals on them to make them involuntary slaves…there were a range of options, all more horrifying than the last.

And…what to do about Iwa. It hadn't participated in this disaster, but it was still an enemy. Indeed, Sarutobi had held off for so long publicly revealing Naruto's status as the son of the late Yondaime just because of Iwa…because he didn't want to subject the boy to assassination attempts just because of a father he'd never been able to meet.

Now, though, it was a different story. Naruto would likely become a chuunin once the real Chuunin Selection Exam's final round was played out in a few weeks. And he was a stronger ninja at twelve than Sarutobi himself had been.

His Wrath of God technique…something he'd thought up after eating dinner in a cheap restaurant in Casino City…it was truly terrifying.

The boy didn't thirst after knowledge, as Sarutobi had. No, he was all about making things work. A different kind of ninja, rather like his practical minded father.

Sandaime would have to make his plan official. He would do as Jiraiya had requested and make Naruto the Toad Sannin's apprentice. (Sarutobi would keep giving him lessons as time allowed, but the boy was becoming skilled in developing jutsu that only he would be able to use.)

In one month, Uzumaki Naruto would be recognized as Namikaze Naruto. And his life would change.

Hidden Leaf would change.

Of course, for safety, no one would know about Kyuubi unless they were willing to accept a secrecy seal. It was too big a military secret even to this day.

Yes, yes. Helping the boy develop a public legend, while allowing him to keep his original techniques secret for a while longer: Jiraiya would be useful for that. It would also help position Naruto as a possible successor. That made Sarutobi happy.

Now if the boy would just take up an interest in sealing…and perhaps recreate the Hirashin? If it were possible…. Nah, even Sarutobi knew it was unlikely. Naruto was a tremendous student, but sealing was too much 'book work' for someone as active and physical as he was.

Questions for another day, Sarutobi mused. Hopes for the future. It was time to shock the village…and get it headed back to greatness.

He was old and only had a small amount of time left, a few years probably. He had to make the most of the time.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Itachi was in Hidden Grass when he overheard frenzied whispers of two jounin in a ninja bar.

"He was killed. He walked into Hidden Leaf ready to slaughter them…and he was captured…and killed."

"That bastard. My father tells a story when the Snake Bastard was still a Leaf ninja…."

That was all Itachi's brain heard. He filled in the rest. There was a rumor – a plausible rumor – that Orochimaru was dead. Anger coated his normally impassive face, but just for a moment.

He needed confirmation. If his target was dead…then he didn't know quite what to do. Hatred had made him strong…and now the target was dead.

What came after?

He quashed the question. That was for the future. Now he needed facts.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X****


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A/N: I have edited and expanded the previous two chapters. I finally figured out a good reason – plot-wise – to continue this story. I encourage you to revisit chapters one and two before continuing on. I have 'resurrected' Itachi and Hinata, among others, to serve up some interesting plot points. So, here are the continuing struggles and triumphs of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Edited 3/15/09

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It felt strange to take a seat in this Arena, Sarutobi mused. After all, five weeks ago this place was used as an ambush for Orochimaru and the forces from Suna and Kumo.

The attempted invasion had changed several Leaf policies. (After all, the walls here were based on those in Konoha. Everyone had seen how easily large summons had brought huge sections down. A terrifying jolt of reality.)

For one, foreign ninja weren't allowed inside Konoha. Diplomatic meetings took place in one of the buildings in the converted 'mock-up.' Tournaments like this one took place in the refashioned 'Arena.' Foreign traders took up free stalls here. Villagers from the Leaf flocked here on trading days…now that they had to leave the village, it seemed like a more interesting task…and trade had actually picked up, even with the more inconvenient arrangements.

Perhaps, with time, that would fade.

Today…strange as it was…was the true final round of the Chuunin Selection Exam. All the remaining nations in the tournament understood precisely the reasons for the delay, even if the civilians and others had less of a clear picture.

The Daimyo's in attendance had large contigents of bodyguards, still more than a bit spooked that Orochimaru might return from the grave. Having personally set the body alight…and kept the fire going for quite some time…Sarutobi knew that his one-time student was truly dead.

He looked at the match board…and thought it strange and wonderful. Six of the ten finalists were from Hidden Leaf…and five of them were 'rookies.'

Normally few genin teams found their jounin-sensei willing to nominate them after receiving so little experience…but six of the new teams had been entered and all had done respectably.

Perhaps it was time to look at this long standing…tradition. It held that rookies should rarely participate, needing more time to grow, but conversely that few genin should attend more than two of these tournaments in order to build their experience level. Sarutobi had long wondered if the two prongs were more than a bit at cross purposes.

Those who did not pass after two tries would have to wait for merit promotions later…as the Chuunin Selection Exam was primarily to honor young geniuses…and to make the various Hidden Villages seem greater than they might be because of a powerful genin here or there.

Politics…keeping the civilians and Daimyo's entertained…this had once perhaps served its purposes, but now Sarutobi had been less interested in maintain tradition for tradition's sake.

Perhaps the foreign tournaments held some value, as Sarutobi believed was possible from a well constructed tournament, but they were insufficient for handling chuunin promotions. Ninety-five percent of all Konoha chuunin had risen in level thanks to a merit promotion, not as a result of this tournament.

That was a broken system… Ah, Sarutobi's eyes tracked down to the proctor. The test was ready.

"Ahem, thank you for attending. Today's matches have been preselected and the combatants notified. They have had two months to prepare for this day, so we should expect some marvelous battles today."

Sarutobi smiled as the first Konoha ninja took the field. Nara Shikamaru slumped out of the waiting area while Kento of the Grass walked like a ninja should.

Shikamaru was, hopefully, setting his opponent up for a surprise.

The battle began. Kento drew a katana and wiped its blade with a cloth. Sarutobi recognized the gesture as a standard from Grass Country – that blade was poisoned. With what, only Kento knew for sure.

Shikamaru had a harder task. In order to win, he could not be hit…and needed to take down a kenjutsu specialist.

It seemed a boring match…until people realized, as Kento did not, that Shikamaru was avoiding a fight in order to waste his opponent's energy. The boy was obviously planning something.

And, then, as Kento's anger got the better of him, a shadow struck out from Shikamaru's body…and Kento was stuck.

Shikamaru raised his left arm…and Kento's right arm rose of its own volition. Shikamaru manipulated his own arm, as if he were carrying a sword and about to commit seppuku. Kento began to sweat as his sword turned against him.

"Do you concede?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes. Yes, I concede!"

The proctor declared Shikamaru the winner. The boy released the shadow, wobbled a bit, and then slouched off the field.

Kento, shaken by his improbable loss, secured his blade and walked off, a bit more humble than he had come onto the field.

"Now. Inuzuka Kiba versus Hyuuga Banta!"

Sarutobi was surprised that this Hyuuga had made it into the finals when Mishi, the Hyuuga's latest pride and joy, held a better reputation.

He watched with interest as the Hyuuga took up the standard Gentle Fist forms – why had the Hyuuga gone through so much tumult only to insist on the old methods, the old traditions? – while stood stock still with his partner animal at his side.

Both were waiting for the other. Good. They had been trained in caution, especially important for one as impetuous as the Inuzuka boy could be.

Finally it began. The dog ran forward, as if instructed, and then the Inuzuka. Sarutobi lost a bit of interest as it turned into a decoy and attack routine. When the Hyuuga turned to face his human opponent, the dog would nip as his calf muscle. So the Hyuuga would have to deal with the dog…then Kiba would strike.

It went on and on…the Hyuuga using his Gentle Fist, but finding a dog's tenketsu system utterly alien when compared to a human's. He didn't know how to stop the vicious, but rather amusing, little animal.

Finally, Kiba managed a good solid punch.

The Hyuuga was taken down by a taijutsu practitioner who was less skilled, less refined than he was. And the Inuzuka had held nearly all of his clan attacks in reserve for future matches. Yes, he was becoming formidable.

"Winner: Inuzuka Kiba. Now, we offer Suna's Temari versus Leaf's Uzumaki Naruto."

Sarutobi smiled at this. While the matches were supposed to be random…Sarutobi had scheduled this 'random' match himself.

Naruto, his prized student, had never battled against another wind user. He wanted the boy to have that opportunity in a safer venue than a battle field.

But it seemed that the Wind Mistress did not wish for anything to be done safely. She obviously resented still being held by the Leaf…and her likely status as a permanent hostage.

Of course, she was still legally a Suna citizen until the various Daimyo's and Sarutobi hammered out a written agreement. But the girl was angry.

Her opening move against Naruto was opening her fan to its fullest size and batting a powerful wind attack at him. She didn't think to wonder why the blonde guy just smiled…and did not bother to get out of the way.

The blast of air tore through the arena…and when it struck the floor, it sent up rock and stone and everything else.

When the dust cleared, Temari had mounted her fan and was preparing to leave as no one could survive such an attack.

Sarutobi smiled and wished he had wagered more on Naruto's eventual win. This was as dramatic as it got.

The young ninja was still standing in place and smiling.

A semicircle of untouched floor lay in front of him. He was making a point…but how? Nothing Naruto knew was a wind defense as this seemed to be.

Indeed, while wind techniques were known for being destructive, what Naruto had come up with, especially his Wrath of God technique….

Sarutobi's face broke into a full smile. The boy had done it! That horrifying technique – Wrath – used his control over air to separate air and leave a void in its place. The boy could create a vacuum. An opponent punching into such a void…would receive horrible frost burns and would have blood vessels exploding under his skin.

Had Naruto ever positioned a Wrath attack over an opponent…The air would be pulled from his lungs instantly and the air bubbles in the blood stream would increase in size as the pressure outside decreased. Within moments, the person would be a bloody mess…the most horrifying individual technique Sarutobi had ever heard of…again invented by mistake.

But now, it seemed Naruto had learned to mold a thin layer of a vacuum, like the outer shell of a large gumball, all around the area where an opponent might attack.

Such a thing could absorb wind, fire…anything…so long as Naruto could maintain this Wrath Shield.

Sarutobi looked at his fellow Kages and counterparts from the other villages. None of them knew what had happened – or why. With such a technique, the boy was unstoppable.

Naruto had just showed everyone he would eventually rise to Kage-level power…and none of them yet realized it. The boy might be a bit ill-mannered, in an amusing way, but he understood discretion. He would never tell anyone how to replicate his techniques; the Hokage also doubted that Naruto would ever use the Wrath technique directly on another shinobi unless he meant to kill them.

This day, this public in attendance had witnessed the pronouncement: "A Legend will rise here." A chill ran down the Sandaime's spine. Naruto's father had used fuuinjutsu to become unstoppable; a complex art that took him almost seven years from start to a usable model. Naruto had developed this Wrath power by accident and then kept playing with it until it really was worth something.

To have the power over individual molecules of air, to move them, to create temporary vacuums or pockets of great air density (perhaps dense enough to stop projectiles, the Hokage wondered), this was the power of a true wind master.

And no one recognized this master work. Not yet. With luck, Naruto's true strength would remain hidden for some time to come. Anonymity equals safety, after all, to a ninja.

Temari, on the arena floor, was the most confused. Her most powerful attack had hit everywhere around the kid…but not the target himself. How?

She didn't get the chance to be confused for long. Naruto ran to her and began attacking with his fists and feet.

The first punch…Temari screamed a bit…as the punch not only hurt, but it somehow covered her upper arm and back in deep, bleeding cuts.

A kick to her belly had her doubled over in pain. There was blood everywhere.

A few more blows…and she wasn't willing or able to get up again…even her Battle Fan had been destroyed by the boy stepping on it.

Sarutobi nodded as he watched. The boy's own taijutsu style, not so different from the Academy version, included fashioning wind in his fists and feet. The punches hurt…and the wind tore at the same time. To perform this technique was a testament to the boy's mastery of the air. He formed up these thin air blades just a moment before the blow landed and dispelled them just after they'd struck. It was a marvel of timing and control. Indeed, his control would permit him to fight like this for almost an hour against training dummies before his body would feel the stress.

The proctor had not heard a forfeit. But he knew when a battle was ended. The blonde boy had stopped attacking and was waiting to be declared the winner. The proctor did so…and then Naruto himself knelt down and helped to pick up his opponent and carry her to the medic nins. None of the wounds were fatal…although Sarutobi expected the boy could have made them so, had he been in the proper state of mind.

The gesture, contrasted against Temari's mean-spirited first and only attack, drew applause.

The proctor waited for the noise to clear before declaring. "Now, we have Aburame Shino versus Sato of the Waterfall."

The match was an unfortunate pairing for the young Aburame. Sato was a gifted user of water techniques and genjutsu. The Aburame had some taijutsi skill, but relied on his kikai bugs.

And bugs were easily drowned.

A few minutes later, Shino conceded defeat.

"Our final round one match: Koh Moegi versus Hirofume Kunio from River Country."

Sarutobi sat forward for this one. It had been a long time since an 'independent shinobi,' like this Hirofume had made it to the finals. Most ninja, but not all, came from Hidden Villages. There were still clans out there who trained their children in the ninja arts. This student must be truly gifted to have made it this far with just clan techniques and training methods – even the River Daimyo had been impressed enough to sponsor the young man's spot.

Koh had excellent chakra control – better than the Haruno girl – and was becoming a fairly talented field medic.

This Hirofume, no one knew what he specialized in. His opponent in the prelims was weak and Hirofume hadn't had to give much away.

The battle started at close range. Koh attacked with…chakra scalpels. Hirofume used metal gauntlets of his wrist and arms to deflect the attacks and cause damage on his own.

Then Hirofume withrew a short staff from his back – a man after Sarutobi's own heart – and began to wail on Koh.

The kunoichi jumped away and went to medium distance attacks. She specialized in ranged weapons and explosions.

Koh rained down kunai on her opponent…and a few of them had small explosive notes attached.

The battle ground became a war zone. Dust everywhere. The battle still continuing although the spectators could only hear clanging and banging.

When the dust cleared, it was clear that the two had reached a stalemate. Kon had been pinned by the short staff her opponent wielded…but she had a kunai with an exploding tag stuck in the young man's thigh.

Neither could win without dying.

"It is a draw," the proctor declared. Neither would progress. But perhaps Sarutobi would have someone inquire of the young River ninja if he would like to join the Leaf forces. He was talented…and Sarutobi would appreciate more bo users among his ninja.

The second rounds were drawn and the pairings revealed. The Nara would go against the Inuzuka. And Naruto would go against the water user from Waterfall.

A thirty minute break was announced…to permit people to get refreshments…but, in actuality, to facilitate additional gambling on these matches.

When the tournament resumed, Inuzuka quickly overwhelmed the Nara. The shadow user had basically depleted all his chakra in the first round…and was forced into a quick concession.

The second battle was a good bit longer. Sarutobi knew that Naruto was playing with this Sato as he had never gone up against a true water-oriented ninja. Sure the boy had a few water techniques, mostly for defense, but he was curious.

In any case, it looked like a good battle.

Naruto showed that his most recent training with Sarutobi had finally come in useful. It was a strange commentary that Naruto, who loved techniques that caused mass damage, had to be taught how to disarm an opponent who wasn't as strong as one of the Monkey King's subjects…rather than just destroy them.

Sato didn't know how lucky he was.

The boy had quite a bit of skill. He was able to form a small water dragon using just the barrel of water he'd been permitted to situate in the far side of the arena. (Similar provisions were made when the tournament was held in other countries, if needed. Water users shouldn't be disadvantaged just because the tournament was in the desert, for example.)

Naruto tested the boy's water techniques…and then let himself be caught in a few genjutsu just to experience them…and then, finally, after faking a look of exhaustion, went on the offensive.

When he struck this time, he did not draw blood. When he parried a water blast, he used his wind to freeze some of the water. Then he picked them up and threw them back.

The water user couldn't dissolve them…and manipulate them. One of the small spikes struck Sato in the upper arm.

When Naruto went in for the submission move, the boy attacked Naruto with a half-abortive ice technique of his own. Naruto played with it, examined it, and then sent Sato unconscious.

Naruto was using this tournament to learn…even in a crowd like this. Remarkable.

The final match was obvious: the Inuzuka versus Naruto. Still another thirty minute break was called…and the betting was furious outside the Arena.

When the audience calmed down, the proctor started this last match.

It was a bit amusing to Sarutobi. This was Naruto and Kiba's first pairing at the examination to become genin, as well.

The fight, mostly in taijutsu, showed how both had radically improved since then. The Inuzuka's sensei, the former head of the hunter nin, had done much to calm the boy and focus him.

He thought better…and fought better. Both of them were transformed since their student days.

The Inuzuka was nearly a match for Naruto in straight taijutsu. Had Naruto been using his elemental attacks…well, the story might be different…but the boy knew better than to use such a thing on a fellow loyal Leaf ninja.

The match was truly well coordinated until the Inuzuka upped the ante. The boy was surprised when Naruto fought well against the Inuzuka clan technique of the Beast Clone. The little puppy became a second, rather feral-looking Kiba.

Naruto dealt with both of them once this happened, being forced to show more of his true skill level. One couldn't best a five foot tall monkey and then fail to beat two chuunin-level ninja.

And when they tried to execute their twisting and twirling technique…they hit a cyclonic whirl of air that tossed them both away from Naruto.

That was a second new technique that the Sandaime hadn't seen yet. The boy was keeping secrets it seemed, even from his Sensei…good, the boy was learning to be a ninja. He asked for help when stumped, but kept some things in reserve to surprise and delight at the opportune moment.

The match ended when the puppy ran out of enhanced chakra and basically fell asleep. Kiba broke his discipline and went to the aid of his animal. The Inuzuka would have to be broken of such a tendency soon.

The proctor declared Naruto the winner.

There was much groaning…and much rejoicing as various winners and losers went to claim and pay their bets.

The arena began to empty. But the ten challengers returned to the floor.

Sarutobi finished his ballot. He had felt generous this time. He voted to award chuunin rank to Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino, the Waterfall ninja, and the River ninja.

He collected the ballots from the other Kages and the Daimyos. The ballots were unanimous for a few…and split fiercely on the rest.

Naruto and the Inuzuka were clear chuunin.

Shikamaru barely scraped enough votes…which would suit him just fine.

Sato claimed enough, but the River ninja did not. That was a mistake to the Hokage's mind. It seemed like a bit of discrimination against a ninja not from a Hidden Village.

Shino had six of thirteen votes, so no vest, which was also the case for Koh Moegi. Temari somehow got five votes, even from a single vicious assassination-style attack…more politics, it seemed. The Hyuuga got five. While all the others got four. Some ballots had called for everyone to be made chuunin…obviously some Daimyo had done very well with his betting…or had been drinking for a rather long time.

The Hokage walked down to the floor of the arena and handed out four chuunin vests. As the sad River ninja walked away, the Hokage gestured him over.

"I believe you deserve promotion, young man."

"Thank you, sir."

"If you should ever wish to serve and train in a Hidden Village, the Leaf would welcome you."

"Thank you. But I have to return to my clan. The Daimyo has promised them aid in exchange for my service on his guard… But, if the offer were still open in a few years…."

The young man was good. He knew how to negotiate with powerful men.

"I will send you a warrant. Provided you have grown in strength, and have stayed clear of legal entanglements, I will permit you to join the Leaf no matter who is Hokage then."

"You plan to step down, sir?"

"I have been Hokage for more than forty years, young man. I will either step down of my own accord…or nature will force me into it."

"I see. Thank you." Hirofume Kunio walked away without a vest…but with a massive smile on his face. Sarutobi would have given even money that the boy would come to the Leaf in a few years, after his clan received the Daimyo's largesse.

Naruto had a large, stupid smile on his face. As he bounced up and down. While waiting for the Hokage to shake his hand.

"I will call up Enma at our next meeting, young ninja, if you do not stop bouncing."

This threat worked, but nothing could take the smile from his face.

"Keeping secrets, huh? No one else realized what your shield was…but I see the Wrath of God in your future, boy." They were speaking in public, so the Hokage was circumspect with the boy.

"The whirlpool shield to fling away opponents…"

"Or thrown weapons," Naruto added.

"…that was also new."

Naruto beamed and nodded.

"Excellent work, young shinobi. Excellent."

As the Hokage moved on to speak with the other finalists, critiquing and praising in equal measure, Naruto began his self-satisfied bouncing again.

The boy was a genius…but he had entirely too much energy.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Hinata felt like her baby was soon to come into this world. And then they would take it.

She had wracked her mind trying to determine what to do. These were ninja…while she was from a ninja family, but hadn't been trained since she was five…many, many years ago.

She had been trying to work herself back into the form she remembered. Pulling up chakra to her fingers and attacking the points her father – his face still obscure in her memory – and mother showed her.

Two days later, when the guardians came to take her to a medical room, she gently tapped one guardian with a finger. When he started gagging, she tapped the other guardian on the spine at the top of his neck.

One would die of a heart attack soon…and the other had a brain no longer able to communicate to her body.

She stripped the shorter guardian and got into her clothing. Then her heart raged in her chest as she made her way to the door. A third guardian appeared, confused. Hinata's hand went to his chest, but she found herself bound in the man's powerful grasp. Her other hand reached over and tapped the man's forehead. He dropped to the ground.

She left, eight months pregnant, on a dark, moonless night. The only thing possibly worse would have been falling rain.

She did not have food or water or a map. She had not been outside in seven years.

Her captors would not learn of her flight until a shift change happened in this facility. She would be out of their grasp by then.

But the recorded images of what she had done…how she had killed…those would be added to the small archive of footage of how the nearly extinct Hyuuga fought and killed. Kumo ninja had been keeping this archive for twenty years now. Hinata, barely trained, her captors cursed her when they realized she was a genius. She had used old memories to do this, to kill three older, trained ninja. Three light taps and they were dead.

A mother had learned to do this for her unborn second child. She had power. Everyone had underestimated her…and now she was gone, likely dead.

The Raikage, when told of this, did not fly into a rage. After all, his new 'nephew' was a male of the Hyuuga line but without any memories of the Hyuuga Massacre or any other Hyuuga. In ten or twelve years when he became sexually mature, this boy would be able to father many more children than a single woman could.

The boy would mate and mate and mate. The Raikage would train the boy to prize beautiful women…and to love the feeling of being on top of them.

And the Hyuuga would be reborn here – not like the tattered remnants still in Hidden Leaf. Powerful. Adding to the might of the Raikage!

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Uchiha Itachi made his way to Rice Country. The rumors had been right about this. Someone had definitely constructed underground bunkers here.

Itachi decided to see what would happen if he…damaged one. If he could get just a bit of information, then he would have his confirmation…and then he could plan for the future.

He affixed explosive notes to the exposed entrance.

Moments later he was well away when the explosion opened the 'secure' entrance.

Itachi had not interest in entering. He was waiting for someone…a security ninja, perhaps…to exit.

He was not disappointed.

A minute later, a coughing gray haired young man wearing glasses exited through the gaping chasm that once was a staircase.

Itachi gave the boy? – or ninja? – a chance to catch his bearings.

"Can you tell me if Orochimaru is around?" Itachi asked.

The gray haired boy blinked behind his glasses. "Is this a joke?"

"No. Please tell me where I can find the Snake Sannin."

"He's dead." The gray haired ninja stalked forward.

Itachi was prepared.

"I see. So…you served him?"

"I was…his best spy."

Itachi sent a blast of black fire at the boy…which just nicked the ninja. His arm looked like seared beef…until it began to heal before Itachi's Sharingan eyes.

"A useful skill."

"Why?"

"I no longer get the chance to kill Orochimaru…but I might as well kill his best spy…."

"You have Sharingan eyes."

"I had not meant to use them. I guess my rage got the better of me. Prepare yourself."

The slight, bespectacled ninja was better than he looked. He actually managed to graze Itachi with a chakra scalpel. Itachi decided to end this fight…in the most interesting way possible.

"Tsukuyomi."

It took the silver haired ninja a second to realize that he was in a different place.

"What?"

"This…Kabuto," Itachi said, plucking the ninja's name from the ninja's own mind, "is a world I control. I have been experimenting with this technique and have recently made a breakthrough. We will be viewing your past together…and subjecting you to the pain you caused other people. Let's begin."

The mental Kabuto screamed as each one of his secrets – his spying, his training, his stealing of orphans, everything – was stripped from his mind and put in plain view.

Kabuto felt the pain of being dissected with chakra scalpels while still alive…of horrific experiments being performed on him.

He began to beg for death before the first 'hour' was over. By the time seventy-two were complete, he had no active mind left. The portions keeping his body alive were mostly unaffected, but his memory, speech, and cognition centers were destroyed by the pain.

Itachi reemerged from Kabuto's mind a few moments after using the jutsu.

He now knew exactly what he needed to do next.

Orochimaru, after all, still had one living experiment who possessed Sharingan eyes. And several preserved sets of Sharingan eyes. All that needed to be dealt with…the entire legacy needed to be destroyed.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Good, good job, Naruto…."

"But I lost…again."

"My seven foot tall friend here…he is the last step before you begin to fight Enma. And the gulf between your skill and his has grown smaller in the last two months. I suspect you will be able to bring him to a draw in another two or three months."

"I know."

"Have your skills improved because of this sparring?"

"Of course! I am getting much better…."

"Exactly. So stop being so down in the dumps…."

"Err, right, Sensei. Thank you, Honorable Monkey, for the training."

"A pleasure," the tall, unnamed monkey said before he bowed to Sarutobi and then vanished.

"So…why doesn't he have a name?"

"Naruto, he has a name, but because of his position as heir to the Monkey Throne, he may not share it with anyone who does not sign the contract. I know his name, as I do Enma's true name."

Naruto seemed a bit mystified, but dropped it. He didn't yet realize the strange politics involved in working with a summoning partner. If Jiraiya decided to have him contract with the toads…well, they were stranger than most.

"Now…I know that I told you I would be working on your fire techniques, something has come up…."

"Are you bailing on me, sensei?"

"No…Not at all. It seems I must fill in more of your story, your personal story…and introduce you to your godfather."

"Really? Who is it?"

"It's me…Jiraiya, the Legendary Ninja!" Sarutobi bopped his old student on the head before he could make his young student an unruly delinquent.

"One of the Sannin? I know of you. You taught the Fourth!"

"Yes, yes, that's right, brat. I taught your father."

By the widening of the boy's eyes and the anger on Sarutobi's face…it became apparent Naruto did not know the details of his parentage yet.

"That could have been done more diplomatically, my idiot student."

"You were supposed to have told him…."

"My father was the Fourth? Why did no one tell me…."

Sarutobi shot a glare at Jiraiya before answering. "It was my decision, Naruto. I wanted to give you as much information at a time as you could reasonably handle. That's why you found out about your 'tenant' three years ago. And now about your famous father."

"I always wondered what happened…growing up. Now, I know. My mother?"

"Minato's girlfriend, a lovely, saucy wench from Whirlpool…."

This time Naruto took Sarutobi's bo and bopped Jiraiya on the head. "That's my mother. She's not a saucy wench…you, you pervert!"

"This is important, Naruto, as I will do the formal unsealing of your father's last testament now that you have become a chuunin. I believe your…hidden talents will keep you safe from most potential attacks. Hidden Stone still harbors hatred of this village because of your father's battle prowess…."

"I know. I listened in history class!"

The friendly, hyperactive Naruto had presented himself again. Sarutobi expected another conversation on Naruto's displeasure of secrets being kept from him…but not for a few days or a week. Something like this would take Naruto some time to ponder.

"Alright, alright, brat," Jiraiya said. "I will be your new teacher. I…"

"You're dumping me?" Naruto asked the Hokage. "That's quite a step down…from a Hokage to a white-haired pervert!"

"Hey! Brat! I trained a Hokage…which is more than Sarutobi-Sensei ever did!"

This was getting of control. Who knew Naruto could press all of Jiraiya's buttons like that? It was quite amusing, however.

"Excuse me, old student. I trained three people strong enough to be Kages…but one was too evil, one too busy drowing her memories, and one too lazy…and 'distracted' to do the job!"

Naruto began to laugh now. It was contagious. Everyone was shouting. It was the best thing he'd seen in a long time. Who knew the Hokage could be so funny?

"Fine, fine. Naruto, let get started. Have you ever accessed your tenant's chakra…."

"No."

"No, huh? Well, we'll have to work on that…."

"No," the Hokage said. "No, Jiraiya, you will train him to be a ninja, not a jinchuuriki."

"What are you saying, you old fool! He's got this tremendous well of power. He'll be the most powerful ninja ever…."

"Listen to me, my old student. Do you know what Naruto can do now?"

"Well…no. I caught his matches at the chuunin exams, but that wouldn't have done a thing against Orochimaru…."

"You don't understand. Naruto may or may not need the power of the Kyuubi in the future…but until he plateaus developing his standard ninja skills, I would not tempt fate. As of now, Naruto's secret has not widely spread. That story we put out all those years ago about the demon vessel dying as a result of the sealing…it worked. Demon watchers have been waiting for the Kyuubi to reform, but no one knows how long that will take or where. The deception has worked. But if you begin having Naruto fling and flex youkai around…that story will not hold."

Jiraiya sighed. "I get it. I see. Hnn." He turned to the kid. "So, what can a brat like you do that impresses Sarutobi-sensei so much?"

The Hokage laughed. "You may show him, Naruto, but no permanent injuries…."

"Got it!"

"Hey, wait. What do you mean 'no…."

The earth to all sides of Jiraiya exploded upward…and then covered the Sannin in tons of dirt and muck. He strengthened his body at the last second, otherwise he might have been crushed under that amount of weight.

"Holy toads on high! How did you do that?"

Naruto looked a bit smug now. Sarutobi had been working with him for a long time now. He wasn't just sleeping his way through lessons.

"You did something to create a deep trench around me. That's pretty good for slowing down an enemy. Not bad! Not bad at all. So what kind of Earth Style technique is that?"

Naruto smiled even wider.

"It isn't, Jiraiya. It was Naruto's direct manipulation of elemental air…directed down into the earth. The dirt had no place to go, but up…and onto you."

"You…you can't be serious. I didn't think such a thing was possible!"

"Who's the bad teacher now, Jiraiya? You better apologize or I won't let you take Naruto out of the village to train!"

"I apologize. Please. Please believe me."

"What do you say, Naruto? Do you wish to train with that old fool?"

Naruto looked between the two men. Sarutobi had an hour a week to spare; this Jiraiya might have more time to help Naruto with the delicate, intricate wind manipulations he was working on. "If he trained…the Fourth…well, that's good enough for me. For now."

"Fine."

"Yahoo!" Silly Jiraiya.

Then a small voice interrupted things. "Hey, old man, who's making all this racket?"

The Hokage turned around and saw that his grandson was standing at the door from the main house to the training ground. The young boy should have been doing his ninja lessons at this time.

"Where's Ebisu?" The former Internal Affairs head had taken to teaching and tutoring better than anyone, including himself, had foreseen. He liked being a Special Jounin.

"Oh, him? I tied him to a chair. It's my turn to try to defeat you old man!"

Not this. Konohamaru had recently taken to challenging the Hokage to ridiculous 'duels.' He had good, wily impulses…but his execution was always so botched. He could tie Ebisu to a chair, but he couldn't run down stairs without tripping. Things like that.

But Naruto, of all people. His snickering turned to laughter…and that annoyed Konohamaru. The boy began to fixate on Naruto again. Konohamaru had tried to get Naruto to teach him to throw kunai or a half dozen other things. Now his focus was back on Namikaze Naruto.

Sarutobi wished his young student luck. Konohamaru was nothing if not persistent. Naruto would discover that for himself.

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The jounin and three chuunin patrolling the northern border came across a pale girl, nearly dead. She had…a baby in her arms. Who was she? How had she been surviving?

One of the chuunin checked on the baby…dead. Likely stillborn. But the girl – eleven, twelve years old? – she was barely alive.

It took three days for her to recover enough for her to open her eyes. Hyuuga eyes. That was enough to get her sent back to Konoha, post-haste.

They could figure out what had happened and who this girl was.

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Uzumaki Naruto wasn't a terribly prideful creature, but he was happy to walk around the village in his new chuunin vest.

And there was the girl he was looking for.

"Hey Sakura…would you like to go on a date with me?"

"Whaa…" Sakura turned around. "Oh, it's Naruto. No, I was waiting for Momuru to come out of the grocery store. I was going to ask him for a date."

"Momuru? The Uchiha. He's been so grumpy he was forced out of the Chuunin Exam because of his wounds. Grumpy makes you happy…."

Sakura closed the distance between them and bonked Naruto on the head.

He had the good sense to looked pained, even if he had had an air pocket up there to absorb the blow. Even getting bonked on the head was good for chakra control!

"No, I will never go on a date with you!"

"Alright. You don't have to be mean about it. If you'd rather date a sourpuss, that's your choice." He started walking and then saw a girl come out of the grocery store. Naruto waved at her.

She took a second…and then recognized Naruto, the boy who won the tournament. "Hi."

"Hey, you're TenTen, right?"

"Yes…."

"Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Before she could answer, Sakura was back in Naruto's face. "You idiot. You can't ask me out then go and ask her…."

"Why not? You said no and hit me. TenTen's got a mind of her own…."

"It's just rude," Sakura shouted.

"No, rude is hitting someone on the head. Go back to trying to get Momuru to look at you…"

Then Naruto turned to look back at TenTen. "So, what do you say?"

"Err…well. She was kinda right. It's not so cool to ask out another girl next to the one who just turned you down…."

Naruto just smiled…and bounced on his toes. Not accepting TenTen's explanation.

"I just heard Sakura refuse. You might have wanted to wait a while and hoped I forgot."

Naruto just smiled wider. "Is that a no?"

TenTen looked so confused. "Er, no. I guess I will. But you're paying!"

"I like fish. What do you like?"

"Anything. In large portions."

"A woman after my own heart."

Thus, Naruto got his first date. And the Sandaime Hokage, who'd been spying from his office, burst out laughing.

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Edited 3/15/09

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The Hokage should have been tense…or angry…or pensive given the meeting that was about to happen. Instead he felt like giggling.

He just couldn't get the previous morning out of his head. What had happened when Uzumaki Naruto became Namikaze Naruto.

At least the boy had his first date before all this fame business was thrown at him. Sarutobi had expected quite a reaction to the news of a surviving Namikaze…but this was extreme. Naruto was already begging to take out of town missions with Team Yamanaka – or to leave on a training mission with Jiraiya.

The girls…who knew the girls could become rabid over such a sliver of news. One pink haired girl, a Haruno, had begun screaming, "Naruto, I'll go on a date with you!" Someone else threw panties at the young blonde ninja. Naruto had the dignity to blush…and the good sense not to pick them up.

Naruto had holed up in his apartment after that…and refused to answer the door.

Sarutobi giggled just a bit – and imagined that Jiraiya would have a bawdy parody of the whole thing in his next book. The Toad Sannin had been 'scribbling notes' like a madman, after all.

When the door opened and the second person walked into this conference room, Sarutobi returned to his rather sour, dour standard look for diplomatic gatherings.

He didn't know the man who walked into the room – nor did he recognize the man's guards who took up position outside the open door. But Sarutobi had seen those robes on other people in his rather long lifetime: they were the Lightning Daimyo's most formal ceremonial robes.

Apparently begging for mercy at a peace conference merited his most awe-inspiring robes. The man was wearing cloth and jewels that were equal in value to a year's earnings for an entire civilian village.

Sarutobi hated the gesture. He had been prepared to offer a sliver of mercy to this Daimyo if he was at all convincing in shifting the blame for Kumo's actions entirely onto the Raikage. But now…this flaunting of wealth. It just irritated the Sandaime Hokage.

The smug bastard had enough pearls embroidered to his arms to have kept divers busy for twenty years.

Sarutobi vowed to humble this man. Turning over that robe would be just one of the requirements for a formal peace. Sarutobi would make a public display of having craftsmen tear it apart to recover the gold threads, the inevitable chunks of chakra absorbing metals sewn into special pockets as a weak kind of anti-ninja armor, and the gems and stones making the thing look more like a chandelier than a piece of clothing.

"Good day to you, Hokage."

"Welcome, Daimyo."

"I hear whispers of some unusual happenings in your village. A lost lamb has reclaimed his patrimony…."

"My word, the spies are getting better…and faster. I hadn't thought it wise to tip your hand in such a way…."

The Daimyo tried to shrug, but the added bulk of his padded robes made it hard to tell. "You know I have spies. Why shouldn't I admit such a thing?"

This man was an idiot, Sarutobi realized. Such an admission – tantamount to saying 'I now have something you treasure…and I can hurt it if I wish' – ensured that Sarutobi would absolutely destroy Lightning and Hidden Cloud's abilities to dabble in foreign intrigues for a long time to come.

The Hokage was relieved of the necessity of responding when the conference room door opened again. The Wind Daimyo entered. He looked abject and angry at the same time.

"Hokage."

"Daimyo."

The tall, thin, heavily tanned man wore a simple robe. He sat down in his chair and said nothing. His mind was obviously elsewhere.

Sarutobi hated to do it…but Wind would have to be broken. This man was wise enough that he probably knew it, too. While he likely had no foreknowledge of what Hidden Sand was going to do…his little budgetary games with his ninja force had brought this to pass. Hidden Sand would pay…and the Wind Lord would pay, too.

Within the next few minutes, the room filled.

The youngest person in the room was a terrified looking teenager – the Rice Daimyo. He was the fourth person to hold the position in the last seven years. Orochimaru had promised to bring wealth and prominence to Rice Country…and he had, for a time. But he had also handled his disagreements with various Rice Daimyos by killing them.

The young man was probably safer sitting in this room than even having a 'friendly' meal with the former head of Hidden Sound.

The oldest person here was an Acting Kazekage. He was one of the few Hidden Sand Council members who hadn't been sent on the invasion…since he was far too old to be an active ninja.

The Raikage, a man who was about the age Minato would have been if not for the Kyuubi, just sat and smiled an odd little smile…like he had a secret.

This man's behavior wasn't proof by any means, but it led Sarutobi to believe he had something to do with the young Hyuuga girl who had recently been brought back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

The Fire Lord had wanted to attend, but Sarutobi asked him not to bother. He had a plan in mind for handling all this…and a civilian in the room might make it a challenge. All of this was carefully scripted.

The meeting's location was scrupulously neutral: a resort community in Grass Country. The rules were simple: each figure could bring five bodyguards, only one of whom could sit outside the meeting room. The only people allowed inside this room were Kages and Daimyos.

The room fell into silence. As the victor in the recent attempted invasion, Sarutobi began the meeting. "Thank you for coming. I hope we will all be able to come to an agreement this day. Many things have lead to this situation, so I realize it won't be easy to deal with so many issues…."

"There is only issue," the Raikage interrupted. "What will it cost me for the return of my ninja…assuming they are still alive."

"Of the captured ninja, only the Hidden Leaf Missing Ninja Orochimaru has been executed. All the ninja who belong to foreign forces have been healed up and well treated…."

"And even permitted to participate in the Chuunin Exams, I understand," the Acting Kazekage said. "Very crafty of you, keeping all of this confined to rumor and hearsay. It gives you a lot of leverage in this, you crafty old monkey."

The Hokage smiled. "You have no idea how much leverage I actually have in this. No idea at all…but like I said, there are many issues to deal with. Why don't we go around the room and see where we are on terms. As the Raikage suggests, why don't we begin with the price to be paid for the safe return of hostages?"

The brusque Hidden Cloud ninja pursed his lips. "I will offer…twenty thousand ryo for each hostage, provided they are still in fighting condition."

Sarutobi said nothing. The Lightning Daimyo – he of the bejeweled robe – did not contradict his counterpart.

The Acting Kazekage was next. "My situation is more complicated. I would actually prefer not to have one of the hostages returned…."

"Gaara?" Sarutobi asked.

The old Suna ninja nodded, a bit hesitant.

"Fine. What is your offer?"

"With our impoverished state, we can afford eight thousand ryo per ninja."

Sarutobi's eyes turned to the Rice Daimyo. Both he and the young man knew why there was no acting leader of Hidden Sound. "My country has been devastated by a man who promised to make us wealthy and powerful. My predecessors drained our treasuries at his demand. To be honest, I would prefer for the Hidden Sound to have never existed…and I will pay Hidden Leaf two hundred thousand ryo to handle the ninja from Sound they captured. I do not want them."

That surprised everyone in the room save for Sarutobi. A Daimyo giving up on military power? It was unprecedented.

This person was the youngest in the room, but he had the best sense of reality of anyone here. He realized and admitted that his country was going to be vastly changed as a result of this.

"Other comments?"

"What will you accept, old monkey?" That was the Acting Kazekage.

"I remind you to observe the formalities, Acting Kazekage. I will accept none of these proposals as presented. But it is interesting to hear what…."

"No. Enough. I am here because my Daimyo forced me," the Raikage said. "I only care to get my ninja back. Twenty thousand ryo per person is more than double what Hidden Sand is offering. You just can't squeeze blood from a rock. Hidden Leaf is the wealthy village, not us…."

Sarutobi just nodded. "Oh, I think the monetary portion of your offer is not far off the mark…once we factor in the contribution that will be required from your Daimyo…."

"What!" the gaudy man said.

"…for not supervising his military force more carefully. But none of you has touched on the key issue. You offer ryo…which is a start…but you offer no promises of security to me or the Fire Country. I cannot just return your ninja and leave you in a position to do this again in a few years. No…."

"What do you mean by security, Hokage?" the Wind Daimyo inquired.

"Obviously I will require that the total compensation from all three forces fully repay the cost of our precautions…and I will require more than just a piece of paper saying you won't do this again. For example, I will require hostages of appropriate rank…."

"No one has said anything about hostages," the Lightning Daimyo said, suddenly a bit nervous. He had thought confidence would protect him from paying any price. Fool.

Sarutobi leaned forward. "I said 'hostages.' I plan to say 'technique libraries.' I will say 'summoning contracts.' I have a lot to say…."

"This is outrageous!" the Raikage bellowed, standing up. He was at the door before anyone could blink. But he could not open it. "What sort of trick is this?"

"Insurance," Sarutobi said. "No one will leave this room until I permit it."

"How?" the Rice Daimyo asked.

"I had thirty minutes here by myself. I am not a sealing master by any means, but I know more than anyone in this room. No one will leave without my consent."

That just served as a dare to prove Sarutobi wrong. It took twenty minutes – and more than a few threats directed at the Hokage – before people accepted the truth of what he'd said.

"Shall we resume?"

The Raikage sat like a petulant child. "Keep them, then. I can rebuild my ninja forces. If your cost will destroy the uniqueness of my Hidden Village, I will let them rot in your jails and force you the expense of keeping them…."

"I see. And you, Acting Kazekage?"

"I must have at least the members of our most prominent clans ransomed. Perhaps we can negotiate?"

Sarutobi wondered how deluded these people really were. Only the Rice Daimyo still seemed to understand that his independent status as a ruler was over.

"Let me explain one detail that you seem to have overlooked. I have had your jounin, your black ops specialists, the best of your villages in my custody for two months now. I said they were all in good health, but that does not mean they haven't been interrogated. I have your most recent secrets in my possession as we speak. Do I need to spread a few dirty items around to prove this claim?"

No one looked at all interested in having this happen.

"Now…let's be serious. I am not signing any treaty – or unlocking this room – until you are all unable, legally and otherwise, to make war on my Hidden Village. Some of you were duped by Orochimaru, but that does not leave you blameless. Some of you were squeezed by unfortunate politics with your Daimyo…and that does not excuse you. Some of you just love to make war…and that makes me even less forgiving, even if your people just set a blockade to support the invasion."

That set things off again. Sarutobi held more cards than he'd revealed so far. He had five opponents in front of him. One was ready to sign almost anything Sarutobi presented to him…but the other four needed to be humbled.

Eventually the Wind Daimyo silenced the others. "You have some strong opinions. What will it take? What do you want?"

"As price for returning the ninja who I should rightfully try and execute? As payment for an attempt at slaughtering my people? I demand that each of your richest ninja clans pay eighty percent of their wealth, plus a hostage. I demand that each noble family or member of the Daimyo's court pay fifty percent of their wealth, plus two hostages. I demand an additional payment of twenty thousand ryo per ninja from the Hidden Village each of my prisoners works for. I demand that Rice Country sign an annexation…and that Fire Country have the right of vetoing any Raikage or Kazekage or Daimyo candidate for the next fifty years. I demand all the summoning contracts held by your ninja clans; all the techniques that are not in common circulation. I intend to ruin your ability to make war against us…but to leave you all able to continue to take missions for clients. If I wanted to destroy you utterly, I could…."

The Raikage, calmer now than he had been for quite some time, said, "I have heard enough. I will do nothing of what you demand. Indeed, I shall lower my bid to two thousand ryo per prisoner. I think you overplay your hand, elderly ninja…and I will not weaken my village for a fool like you."

The Acting Kazekage bit his lips, then began to talk. "I must concur. You are too…kind hearted to follow through on these threats. To demand such things from us, you must be prepared to destroy our villages in retribution. The Leaf is powerful in body, but weak in mind."

The Rice Daimyo, speaking for Hidden Sound, said, "I will agree to the annexation. As weak as we are at this time, I expect an invasion within the year from any one of our neighbors. The monetary conditions are severe as our treasuries are almost non-existent. Might we enter into negotiations on that point?"

Sarutobi nodded. Everyone else in the room looked murderous. They were jockeying for position, trying to bargain down the Hokage…and this teenager had just destroyed the illusion of false strength they were trying to create.

"You are wise, Daimyo. As you have seen with your own eyes, my ninja have occupied the former bases of the Hidden Sound. After those facilities are emptied and destroyed, we will use our ninja to protect your nation until the annexation is complete. I think we can come to terms…but, the rest of you, my terms will grow harsher. As Cloud and Sand reduce their bids, I increase my demands. The Lightning Daimyo will not walk out of this room with that robe on. It is garish and foolish to bring such a thing to a meeting of supplication. That useless wealth will be broken down and put to use!"

"I've never," the fat man said.

The Raikage looked at the Hokage with questioning eyes. He didn't know what the old ninja was up to, but he didn't care for it.

"Shut up, Keruto," the Raikage said to his Daimyo. "You were stupid about that ceremonial robe. We were here to beg and prove our poverty, but you had to dress up. You have so little sense, someone must remind you not to drown when you bathe!

"But I wonder what the Hokage has yet to tell us. He has our ninja prisoners; he has some of our secrets; what else do you have? What makes you so confident this day?"

The Hokage nodded a few times. "Very perceptive, Raikage. Very good. You seem to finally be paying attention. Well, the main point…is that six hours ago Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand were infiltrated by special teams. As we speak, your summoning contracts, your hidden stashes of cash, your armories, and your reserved technique libraries…they belong to the Leaf. Within two hours, your banks will be stormed and robbed by other teams. All of your wealth will flow away. In the capital cities of these three countries, my teams have done at least that much. You will sign the treaties if you wish to see even a sliver of this wealth return. If I do not walk out of this room with signed treaties by eight o'clock this evening…my armies will invade all three countries. If I am still here by eight tomorrow morning, then we execute all the prisoners we have. And beyond that…there is one final provision. I do not think any of you care for a full-time military occupation…as that will lead to a destruction of all that you hold dear."

The room went up in shock and screaming for quite a long time. "This conference was a trick!" "You lured us here to lull us into calm…." "You have betrayed us!"

These were the kind of negotiations that Sarutobi liked. Yes, Sarutobi had the upper hand because he had betrayed these men…he had attacked them when their strongest ninja were away…just as they had proposed to do to his village while it was in the middle of hosting an important international event.

Did they think Sarutobi a fool? Did they think him old and doddering? They should realize soon that they were wrong.

Even if one of the two other ninja managed to kill him…then their countries, their soldiers, and everything they valued would fall before any of these people could manage to break down the sealing arrays inside this room.

And if Sarutobi did not emerge with them by a set time…then his ninja had orders to kill everyone here. He had left it to the rather odd jounin named Maito Gai to do this. The man was to rig up a few hundred exploding notes in the rooms bordering on this one…to cover the four walls, ceiling, and floor. The ninja was a bit strange in the head, but he had never failed to execute an order.

It was a Doomsday type scenario…but Sarutobi was done playing games. He played to win!

These people would capitulate or their countries and villages would fall…and Sarutobi wouldn't have to worry about picking another successor.

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The small, desolate girl looked up when someone came into her hospital room. She'd had a lot of people come to speak with her.

The eyes.

This person was like her. Hyuuga.

The young woman looked at Hinata for a few moments before smiling. "I am called Miki."

"Hinata."

"I knew your father and your mother."

Hinata just nodded. "How are you alive? The bad people told me I was the last one alive."

A shake of the head answered the question. "I was one of eleven Hyuuga who remained in this village, the Hidden Leaf, when everyone else left."

"My father…he never said anything."

"He did not wish for us to remain – and tried to convince us to leave. He likely considered it yet another failure for the clan. Few people willingly own up to their failings."

The room fell silent.

"I would like for you to come and stay with me and my husband, after you're healed…."

"Why?"

"Because you should stay with family…."

The impassive Hinata became even colder. "I killed three people. Did they tell you that? I have had two babies; one is dead and I don't know where the other one is. I haven't talked to anyone but a…captor in seven years. Do you really want me to stay?"

The girl was certainly blunt, Miki's surprised look said. "Yes."

"Can I meet your husband? Before I decide?"

"Of course. He'll be back from our store after six."

"Store?"

"Grocery store. Vegetables, rice, meat, and the like."

"You and he aren't ninja, then?"

"No. That was the only reason your father didn't force me and the others to leave with them. Civilians through and through. But the children who stayed behind, all three of them, have become ninja."

"I want to be a ninja," Hinata said.

That surprised Miki. "Why?"

"I will never be weak again. Never."

By the shock on Miki's face, this was the first bit of information that had her rethinking her offer to Hinata. But…her face eased.

"Well, I will help you as much as I can, even if it's just making sure you get plenty to eat."

"Thank you," Hinata said.

The room fell back into silence. Miki left, after waving, left without saying another word.

Hinata responded, after the door closed, by smiling.

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Hoshigaki Kisame and Tobi stood in the forest outside the Hidden Leaf.

"Tobi thinks the wall is very tall…."

"Why did Leader make me bring you along?"

"Tobi is strongest ninja in Akatsuki!"

"Not getting hit by Samehada isn't the same thing as strength. Dodging is just one skill, you damned muppet."

"Tobi thinks that Kisame is not a happy ninja. Tobi thinks that Kisame needs to eat some seaweed!"

Kisame went to punch the idiot, but his fist went right through Tobi. Figures. "I am going to kill you. Just as soon as we deal with the intelligence. A too powerful genin in the last place the Kyuubi was known to be…the 'missing' child of the man who sealed away the Kyuubi. The stars have lined up."

"Tobi likes stars. Tobi counts them at night, but always stops at ten. Tobi wished he had more fingers!"

Kisame said nothing. He just watched and waited. Eventually he got a clue as to the location of their target.

Female voices carried on the wind told him what he needed to go: "It's true, he was at training ground 21. My sister just ran back and told me!"

"Oh! I want to see the last Namikaze!"

Kisame looked down the orange-masked muppet. "Tobi knows! Tobi has been inside every Hidden Village. Let's go."

Tobi began to skip.

Kisame had to make an effort not to kill his 'partner.'

By the time they penetrated the village and found the correct training ground, Kisame had imagined – and discarded – nineteen different ways to kill Tobi. None of the methods were harsh or painful enough.

All those thoughts disappeared when he set eyes on a shock of blonde hair attached to a fairly small young man. Said young man was practicing taijutsu against a training log. But each time he struck the log, a gouge appeared. On one strike, a deep slice penetrated the log and a small portion fell off.

The ninja wasn't fast enough to keep up with either Tobi – who, despite being an idiot, did seem to have some skill – or Kisame. But…a young ninja able to channel chakra like that while in a hand-to-hand mode.

Someone had given this kid some kind of training.

These attacks would fail against Samehada, of course. But it was exciting. The gaki might actually have some merit.

"Tobi thinks the boy knows we're here!" Tobi tried to whisper, but the words came out rather loud.

The young blonde ninja hadn't turned around, but his hands seemed to be moving in some type of ninjutsu.

Kisame only had a moment to detect something…chakra flaring up near him. "Move," he hissed to Tobi.

Kisame dove…Tobi hopped up and down a bit…and then a deep crater formed where Kisame had stood…and Tobi seemed to be almost floating over the gaping hole.

"Tobi likes that! Tobi thinks explosions are the best! Master Kisame must find out how the boy makes his explosions. They feel different from what Master Deidara does…."

The little muppet kept babbling happily…but Kisame had to agree about how different that explosion was.

"Yes. Yes! Tobi must know!"

"I won't be telling you anything," the blonde ninja said. He was closer than Kisame would have liked.

"Fine by me," Kisame said. "You just need to come with us. If you're who we think you are, we definitely have a use for you."

"You expect me to politely walk away with…Nukenin, one of whom looks like a jumping diseased grapefruit on tiny legs and the other looks like he sat in a freezer overnight sharpening his teeth?"

"Oh, Tobi thinks he's funny. Funny, funny!"

"Does he always shout that much?" The blonde haired ninja said.

"Unfortunately," Kisame admitted. "So…it seems I need to get rough with you. Please meet Samehada, my most very special sword."

"I know that name. Ahh, one of the swords used by the Seven Swordsmen in Mist, before it was disbanded."

"Very good!" Kisame swung and saw the boy get into taijutsu form, without even a kunai in his hand. It looked like he was going to use that chakra enhancement he'd been practicing earlier on that mangled training log.

The boy's fist shot out for a punch, but it wavered when it got close to Sameheda. A moment later, the boy disappeared into smoke.

"Wha…."

"Tobi really likes this boy now! Makes explosions and dissolves into smoke. How can Tobi be as cool as him?"

Kisame was on his guard. Was it an odd type of kawarimi…no, it couldn't be…but it was proof of a corporeal clone, like a Shadow Clone.

"Well, that's another piece of evidence. The boy is a chakra monster. There's no way a new chuunin should be able to perform that jutsu, let alone have it performing jutsu like whatever that explosion was. We need to leave now…the memories of what happened here have already been sent."

"Tobi's sad. Kisame promised a great fight. Tobi wants to see it!"

"If you don't start moving, I'll figure out just how to make Samehada eat your chakra!"

"Tobi's going. Don't hurt Tobi."

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"Well…the taller guy, he was…blue. Carried a big sword."

The real Naruto had been in his weekly lesson with Sarutobi when his eyes went wide…which caused his first spar against Enma to end badly for him.

"Blue?"

"And the shorter guy…wore an orange, swirling mask."

The Hokage seemed to wilt a bit. "Inside our walls and no one detected it until they 'found' you. Do you always send decoys out now?"

"Before I have to leave my apartment? You better believe it. I send out a Shadow Clone to train or buy food or something. Then I leave, under henge. It's kinda funny when I get the Shadow Clone's memories, especially if it was dispelled accidentally by an aggressive fan girl…but if I had to deal with it, I think the Finger of God would get a workout!"

Sarutobi was glad that his student – and Jiraiya's student, now, as well – was as paranoid as he was. It had just saved the boy from what could have been a horrible confrontation.

"The blue man sounds like a ninja called Hoshigaki Kisame. He's a swordsman of some renown, but his special talents lay in Water Style attacks. He is known for having inexplicably large chakra reserves. The orange mask…it brings no one to mind. You say he survived a direct strike from the Fist of God?"

"He was just floating there and started shouting about how much he loved explosions."

The Hokage made up his mind then. "I will not risk ANBU on this. Kisame once killed a Daimyo and all his seasoned bodyguards. The man is very strong, although I do not know why his skin is blue like that."

All of a sudden, Jiraiya – who was supposedly out of the village – popped in through a window.

"What the hell did you do to the Raikage, Sensei? The rumors I heard…."

After he was in and speaking he noticed his newest student nursing a large bruise on his forehead. "And what's up with the gaki? You abusing the chuunin now? Batting them around with your bo work?"

"Shut it," Naruto said. "The Akatsuki were just here and tried to kidnap my Shadow Clone."

"Damn!"

Sarutobi let the room get quiet before he turned to look at his white-haired former student. "The treaty talks went well…for the Hidden Leaf. As for the Raikage, if he could have killed me that day, he would have. Let's just say that their attempted stunt cost all of them – even the 'innocent' Lords who 'knew nothing' of what their military counterparts were doing – a lot more than they expected…and far more than they could afford. We'll begin returning Sand and Cloud ninja in a week just as soon as the names of all the permanent hostages are worked out…and begin the trials for the Sound ninja the week after that…."

"Why not just kill them?" Jiraiya asked.

"Political cover. Each one will face a tribunal: a ninja, a civilian judge from the Daimyo's court, and a monk from one of the temples."

Jiraiya nodded. Politics usually bored him, so the Hokage wasn't surprised.

"So…the Akatsuki," Jiraiya said. "They've finally sniffed out Naruto. I told you this 'revealing the last Namikaze' business would have consequences!"

"I didn't realize they'd be this bad," the Hokage said.

"I don't know which is worse: the shark looking guy or the damned girls squealing whenever they see my clone in the street. I can see why Momuru was such a stuck up bastard…the frequencies their voices hit, it's like someone stabbing me with senbon."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

"Enough, Naruto. The question is: how do we handle this? I can't go and take back the announcement," the Hokage said.

"I'm not blaming you, Sensei," Naruto said. "I agreed when you asked me if you should make my status public. I guess I'll get to test my skills a lot earlier than I had expected. But I also need to get stronger. I have no good way of dealing with a swordsman…and that particular sword did something to disrupt the shadow clone before it even struck."

"Fine. It's time for Naruto to go on a training trip…."

"Absolutely not, Jiraiya," the Hokage said.

"…like I took Minato on about a year after he made chuunin. It's where he made his greatest strides as a ninja. He was so intrigued with the Summoning Technique that he began research that led to his most famous technique. He already played around with seals. He spent three years, off and on, playing with chakra extrusion which culminated in the development of the Rasengan…then he began to delve into sealing at a high level, for which I still somewhat blame myself, as it permitted him to create a powerful demon sealing ritual when the time came…and let's not forget that he badmouthed my earliest raunchy novel so much that I wrote a serious piece of fiction, the protagonist of which eventually lent our Naruto here his name…."

"That. Sounds. Awesome!" Naruto shouted.

The Hokage shot withering looks at both of his students. "I forbid it!"

"Well," Jiraiya continued on, not minding his Sensei, "I think Naruto's further along developing his style…but he has a long ways to go. Wind techniques, if developed correctly, could make him the equal of any Kage…but I think we haven't thought about this enough. There's more to dig in and discover. You have a few original power techniques…how about using wind for subtlety or evasion…or to move very quickly…or…I guess the possibilities are endless. If you know what you're doing, and that Wrath Shield thingie sounds like you do, then wind trumps everything else. Fire can't overwhelm your wind…if it can't touch you to hurt you."

"Jiraiya, listen to me. Naruto is a powerful young ninja, but he is not strong enough in this dangerous time to go traipsing about the world while you go and visit every brothel you stumble across."

"I don't have to pay, old man. I'm the Legendary Jiraiya!"

Sarutobi's face tightened into a scowl. "I will revoke the apprenticeship, Toad Sannin! I will continue to instruct Naruto myself."

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Wouldn't I be safer where no one expects me to be?"

Sarutobi frowned. It was a good question, but Sarutobi's knee jerk response was to shout 'No,' again. Why was he resisting this so much?

"He asks a fair question. What has you so…agitated about this?"

"I have calmed down a bit. I was just trying to figure that out myself. I am not, normally, quite so irrational."

"You sound like a parent breaking down when he has to send his first child to the Academy!" Naruto said.

The Hokage had no reaction at that point. But his mind began to spin. Was it so simple? Just a knee jerk reaction to permitting Naruto to leave, to exit the village walls for an indeterminate amount of time.

"It is possible, Naruto. But I can't help but feel that sending you out of the village is a mistake. I would propose an alternative. I will step down as Hokage…."

"Oh no, not this again," Jiraiya said. "Stop looking at me to step behind that desk!"

"…and I will become your full-time instructor, Naruto. I have trained three powerful ninja already, with you as the fourth. You already outstrip me as a wind practitioner, but I am a master of technique envisioning and creation. I can continue to help you grow and to become well rounded."

Naruto nodded and scrunched up his face, trying to think this through.

"I think this is a mistake, Sensei," Jiraiya said. "Well rounded is all well and fine, but the strongest ninja – leaving you and Orochimaru aside, as both of you believed in different versions of 'well roundedness' – are always lop-sided. Naruto has to get massively powerful as quickly as possible. I have suggested…and realize why it was vetoed…training him in the Kyuubi chakra. Keeping him a secret still holds, even if Akatsuki has guessed at the secret. We don't want Naruto targeted by even more foes than just those bastards. But…that means he'll need to be an S-rank ninja very shortly.

"To be fair," Jiraiya added, "you are a better teacher than I am, as you love it more. But I have the time and wanderlust to help the kid. You won't be able to untangle yourself from the Hokage position quickly even once you land on a successor. Minato relied on you as his senior counselor up until his untimely death. However, Naruto and I could leave today, if you permitted it."

"I would like to do this, Sensei," Naruto added, calmer now too.

"Tell me your reasons, Naruto." Sarutobi hated the idea for unknown, 'gut instinct' reasons. He needed someone to push him off his 'no.' He was willing to be drug into a different camp…but he needed a powerful reason.

"I would like to escape this blasted fame for a while…."

"That's not a good reason," the Hokage began to say.

"…which is the first reason I started joking that Jiraiya should take me away to train. I knew he'd done it before, you see. But, in the last few days, I've come to realize that I need to leave in order to train. I can't practice the wind manipulations I've theorized…not without causing massive damage to a training ground or a section of the forest outside the walls.

"I also need to see the world, I think. I need to know what's possible. You and I stumbled onto my very strong wind affinity…and you helped me to hone it. But now I need more ideas. Something Jiraiya just said made me think: how would I turn this wind affinity into more than a massive exploding note? Could I use it for spying, or thieving documents, or kidnapping targets? Could I get that kind of control over it? Or could I use it, the way my father did with seals and reverse summoning, to make me faster than any ninja before? Or…Or. I don't know what else is possible. You've both seen the world, sometimes through war, sometimes for missions, sometimes for pleasure. I'd like that chance, too."

Sarutobi sighed. The boy was being reasonable. And he did have some fair-to-middling reasons, better than Jiraiya's at any rate.

"I do not like this idea. I know both of you do, but something about this strikes fear into my heart. But, I will compromise…."

"Thank you, Sensei," Naruto said.

"…don't thank me yet. Here is the proposal. Jiraiya will take you on a mission I will assign him. It will be to a foreign nation and will last less than a month. At the time of your return, you will show me a technique of Jiraiya's that he has taught you…and an original technique of your own design. If you do this, along with completing the mission satisfactorily, then I will permit you both to leave on a training trip for…say, one year. If you fail, and I decide not to kill my white-haired student for being a moron, then Jiraiya will accept appointment to be Godaime Hokage…and I will take over as your full-time sensei, Naruto."

"What!" Jiraiya gasped.

"Okay," Naruto said.

At this, Sarutobi began to laugh. This trip was going to make Jiraiya so miserable – and so fearful – that he wouldn't enjoy himself at all. He had to actually teach. Minato had actually grown tremendously on his training trip, but it was almost all self-discovered. Minato had admitted to Sarutobi one night over drinks in his new office – and Sarutobi's old office – in the Hokage Tower that the only things Jiraiya taught him on that trip were to how cure venereal diseases and how to summon toads. He further admitted, once he was drunk enough, that he listened to and tried Jiraiya's methods of seducing women…and got a broken arm for his trouble the first time he tried Jiraiya's teaching. He owned up to developing his own techniques that worked much better for him, even on someone as fiercely independent as Uzumaki Kushina.

Naruto, like his self-motivated father, was capable of performing beautifully, of dragging himself into greatness, as Sarutobi knew from first hand experience. It would be easier, and faster, with a motivated, dedicated teacher, however. This trip would force Jiraiya to actually do something rather than sniff around the local young women and get drunk until all hours of the night.

"Do you accept, my aged student?"

Jiraiya's face was a mass of wrinkles and frowns. "Yes."

"I will expect a weekly report delivered by toad messenger. That should help to remind you of your obligations."

As Jiraiya leapt out of the room before he could get any more conditions attached to this farce, Sarutobi smiled at Naruto. "Come to the Tower tomorrow. I will select an appropriate C- or B-ranked mission."

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you."

"Prove yourself, Naruto. Make me proud."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "I know you don't want me to go, but my gut tells me I need to do this."

"Mine say the exact opposite. May the better intestines win."

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Naruto yawned. It sucked being stuck in a hotel while the Pervy Sage was out 'scouting out new operatives.' They were a day from Fire Country's capital – and to meeting the diplomat they were supposed to escort to Wave Country.

When Sensei had explained all the details of this trial training mission, it seemed like it would be…interesting. Like a secret mission with a smart guy who would just ooze knowledge. But, no, it was pretty much like Sensei had said. Jiraiya was off – Naruto was alone, stranded in a town he'd never visited before. He spent a bit of time on the road experimenting with a few wind techniques, but…It had been two days since they'd left…and Jiraiya hadn't taught him anything yet.

Maybe Naruto would just have to 'fail' to learn a new technique…just to spite the white haired bastard…force him to settle down in the Hidden Village and wear that ugly hat.

A knock on the door pulled Naruto from his anger. He spiked a bit of air chakra…a gust of air outside the door brushed up against whatever was out there. Two people, neither with the massive hair Jiraiya had. Naruto didn't have a sense of who they were…but he had one bad guess.

Naruto created a Kage Bunshin and went out the window. He walked right up to the top of the roof…it'd be easier to escape jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Hopefully his Shadow Clone would give him time to escape.

"Goddammit, Tobi." The voice. The blue skinned ninja. Shit. "How did you know he'd go out the window?"

Naruto's head whipped around. There, in the shadows. Yes, it was that guy with the sword. His Shadow Clone trick hadn't worked…somehow they'd expected it. He jumped off the roof to escape.

"Tobi thinks blonde ninja is very crafty. Blondie did just what Tobi would have done: run!"

Naruto jumped from roof to roof. He didn't have any time for mocking comments. The blue one was way above his level…and he had no idea at all what the orange-masked one could do.

When he jumped from another roof, he realized his pursuers were right behind him. He tried a bit of an experiment. He threw his arms slightly behind him and poured wind chakra through the tenketsu in his hands.

Instead of falling and landing on the next building, the added jut of power pushed Naruto over three buildings. The only problem with this 'of necessity' experiment was that he hadn't landed on top of the building, but rather had clung to the wall about halfway up it. Naruto ran up the building and then tried the whole thing again.

The second blast pushed him further. He looked like he was going to make it all the way across the wide river that bisected the town. Close. He landed on the water and his feet clung to it while he tried to think.

Where the hell was Jiraiya? How was Naruto supposed to find the worthless old bastard in a village of twenty thousand? Jiraiya bragged they had over fifty bars and clubs here. The old man could be in any of them – or none of them.

Naruto roused from his thinking when he felt the water behind him begin to…roil. Something very like a shark seemed to be forming close to him.

Naruto leapt onto the bank. All this wind chakra had bought Naruto only a few seconds.

He ran. Without a thought. He was not prepared for this, not at all.

But…if it was his time…he would not be captured. He would kill himself to deny his enemy what it desired. They seemed to know about and desire the Kyuubi. They couldn't have it. He'd protect the Hidden Leaf even if it took his death to do so.

These people did not know what they were messing with when they came after Namikaze Naruto!

The chase…became more like a herding. Any time Naruto got too close to the river, to vanish back into the larger half of the town, sharks appeared. The orange-masked ninja somehow got ahead of Naruto at one point and forced him down a particular road.

He decided on a plan.

He realized they were herding him. He couldn't exactly stop that…if he were but a single ninja.

But, if he precisely created a massive quantity of Shadow Clones, and made sure they had truly equal chakra, then Naruto might…just might be able to escape in the chaos.

"Mass Shadow Clone Technique!"

Suddenly the little alley was filled with a thousand blonde haired ninja.

The ninjas began climbing every wall possible to get out of the alley. They began dispersing almost as soon as they were created.

"God dammit. How come we never knew he could do this?"

"Tobi thinks it's pretty! So many ninja to dance for Tobi!"

"Shut it. Keep wounding them until we can find the real one."

In the confusion, they did not notice one of the blonde ninjas dropping down into the storm sewer system. While he did not like the smells down there at all…he liked the idea of dying even less.

Naruto finally heard Jiraiya arrive and take to battling the Akatsuki. He evidently drove them off, because he was soon calling out "Gaki!" over and over again.

After ten minutes of listening to it – and deciding neither the blue-skinned nor the orange-masked ninja would debase themselves that way – Naruto crawled to the surface.

"Here, Worthless Teacher!"

"Naruto…are you okay?"

The blonde ninja held up his hand and said, "Stop right there. Summon a toad or somehow prove that you're Jiraiya."

That confused the Toad Sannin for a moment, then he smiled. He performed the summoning and a small toad appeared and asked for some candy. Jiraiya threw him some and dismissed him.

"What took you so long?"

"Well…I was busy." It even seemed to sound lame to Jiraiya's pink-tinged ears. "The first clue I had was when I felt enough chakra sent up to make a couple hundred Shadow Clones…."

"A thousand or thereabouts. Three hundred got killed before those two were forced to stop hunting them."

Jiraiya nodded once, as if that were that. "Right. You're safe. Let's get our stuff from the hotel – and get on the road…."

Naruto was getting angrier the longer his Bastard Teacher spoke. He hadn't apologized. He…was late. Naruto might like the guy, and might have had high (or unrealistically high) expectations for the man who'd taught his father…but Naruto couldn't trust him. He couldn't depend upon him.

"Not one word to Sensei about this. You do that for me…and I'll teach you my Swamp of the Underworld technique."

"If I told Sensei, he'd kill you. He was against this from the beginning. And now…I have to think he was right."

Jiraiya's face fell.

"So…stop trying to bribe me. I'll give the old man a full, unvarnished report. And if you don't teach me something…Sarutobi will either kill you or make you Hokage."

"I'm not sure which is worse…." Jiraiya said under his breath.

Naruto didn't say another word until they arrived the Daimyo's Court. Even then he was barely civil.

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"I see, young Namikaze, that is a very interesting tale." The Fire Lord's ambassador was a kiss ass. And he loved to talk, wouldn't shut up. Indeed, the only way to have him stop talking was to tell a story. So long as someone was talking, he was happy.

As soon as he realized he was being escorted by a Sannin and the son of a Hokage he couldn't have become friendlier and more amenable.

Still…for Naruto's tastes…talking to the civilian kiss ass was better than talking with Jiraiya. They were one week into their trip…and it felt like Naruto had been gone for a month already.

He hadn't realized he could hold a grudge, but…it seemed he could.

He had evidently established certain expectations regarding teachers…and Jiraiya had broken them all. The Hokage was always on time; always had one or two things he would instruct Naruto to work on; would trust his student to practice on his own time. That's what Naruto thought teaching was.

It was only pure luck that Naruto was still alive right now. Jiraiya hadn't said word one about training yet, either.

He slowed his breathing and calmed himself. He was a professional on a mission; bullshit could wait until the client was safe.

Naruto's eyes wandered around everything he saw. Wave Country was pretty desolate. This was prime territory for bandits and other undesirables to attempt an attack on wealthy travelers.

The Wave Daimyo's Court was another few hours away when Jiraiya called a lunch break in yet another small, rundown village.

Naruto followed the diplomat off to his choice to restaurant. Jiraiya said he'd return shortly, after taking care of some 'errands.'

The diplomat looked at each food option in the small village…and promptly rejected it. Naruto got a bit peeved. He wasn't in a big town. He could eat what they served…or he could stay hungry until they arrived at Court.

After twenty minutes of turning his nose up at what was available, the diplomat said he wasn't hungry.

Naruto kept an eye on the man while he placed an order for sushi. While in Wave Country, he could enjoy really fresh fish, right?

Jiraiya returned before Naruto claimed his order. He took one look at things, then went to a stand selling miso-glazed chicken.

Naruto watched the man sit at the counter and eat his meal…while the diplomat was simmering in anger over his self-induced hunger.

Then Naruto watched a man at the stand strike up a conversation…and Jiraiya began to smile and his voice got louder, his boasting voice.

What had got Worthless Teacher so interested? Since Naruto had turned the cold shoulder to him, the man hadn't said more than a few words – precisely the number of needed words – to anyone.

Moody bastard. He almost gets someone killed and then he pouts about it.

Naruto thanked the vendor and paid him for the sushi. Then he began to enjoy it, all the while keeping part of his attention on the silly-looking diplomat and the rest on the Jiraiya and his hand-waving conversation.

Jiraiya finished his chicken…and continued to speak with the other man. Was this a guy a fan of perverted books?

Eventually, Jiraiya got up and left. "Ready?"

"Ten minutes ago," the diplomat huffed. Naruto just nodded.

"With luck, we'll be there by nightfall."

Naruto did not see Jiraiya's 'acquaintance' get up from the chicken stand, or his henge drop, or his red and black eyes spin to a stop…leaving only black pupils.

Naruto did not know why this Uchiha was particularly interested in one of the teammates of the dead Snake Sannin. Or how he had cast a genjutsu to force Jiraiya into craving miso-glazed chicken.

Naruto couldn't predict what was going to happen in the not-too-distant future as a consequence.

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"Okay, Bastard Teacher. The mission to Wave is done. Now we have at least a week before we need to escort that annoying guy back. So…teach me something."

Jiraiya looked at his student and frowned.

"I could teach you the handsigns for a dozen jutsu…and you could make them look good…but it would not give you the experience, the wisdom of how to use them, when to deploy them. No, our training together begins with a little exercise, a training exercise."

"I'm listening." Jiraiya had expected Naruto to be indignant about not being taught a technique. Maybe this boy was more mature than he seemed.

"Alright. This country was basically conquered and broken by a 'businessman' named Gato. Rich guy owns ships and docks and warehouses and such…enough of them to basically buy the Daimyo, that useless turd. Then this Gato died in a boating accident. When his body washed up on shore, his thugs discovered that Gato's legendary billions were a myth. He'd been spending every dime he made. That's usually when things go to shit – infighting, virtual civil war, blood in the gutters. Not this time, three of them decide to carve up what Gato did…this time to make money for themselves.

"If anything, things have gotten worse for the inhabitants of this country since Gato's death…"

"That's a terrible story, Worthless Teacher. But what do you expect me to do?"

Jiraiya kept his tongue in check over the 'honorifics' Naruto now bestowed on him. "Your first training exercise is an assignment in intrigue: destoy this Gato Corporation so it can't rise from the grave again. You'll have to figure out how to do this. Get the information; figure out how to cripple it…."

"Can't you be any more specific?" Naruto asked, getting interested despite his irritation with Jiraiya.

"No. Sometimes this is all you get from a client: what the end result looks like. A lot of them don't care about methods. You may choose to kill everyone who works for Gato Corporation – a rather messy solution – or to cause a public scandal over this for the Daimyo forcing him to act or lose his position in a power struggle or maybe you'll destroy the Gato infrastructure, like the docks or the boats, that allow them to keep this place under their thumb. I can think of a dozen ways to do this…."

Jiraiya just smiled. "But this is your task. Fix it. Simple."

Naruto was nodding by the time Jiraiya was finished. It was a lesson in applied ninja skills. One could train to his heart's contentment, but if he couldn't think…he'd die in the field. This assignment was to hone Naruto's thinking capabilities…and to do a good deed.

And it seemed to be bringing the boy out of his funk.

Naruto began to walk away. Then his head whipped around: "Don't forget what Sensei said. If I don't learn one of your techniques, you'll be stuck in Hidden Leaf for life. And, as Hokage, you'll have to maintain a good image at all time. No more dirty books; no more visiting bars every place you go; no more 'dating' sixteen year old girls. You'll probably never leave the town again until you retire! Unless you cause a war or something, you Worthless Bastard."

Jiraiya frowned. Maybe Naruto wasn't out of his funk.

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A/N: Concerning this last bit, Jiraiya does not know of the Hokage's involvement in Wave Country (which he discussed a few chapters back with the Fire Lord). Jiraiya is only in town rarely, so the Sandaime doesn't tell him everything about every mission; just the highlights of the important stuff. Killing off a civilian gangster hardly rates as important to Sarutobi's mind, except for the value of the money he now has at his disposal.

Jiraiya parrots back what he's heard from the locals. Neither he nor the Hokage yet know that the Hokage's order to kill Gato made things worse in Wave Country. It seemed like an accident, which emboldened the vultures; rather than them seeing powerful ninja, as in canon, which cowed and scattered the thugs.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

A/N: Here we come to the main plotline of this story…the Hokage's increasingly desperate efforts to find a successor. While he slapped down Wind, Rice, and Lightning Countries last chapter…he also created a lot of resentment and anger…which he or his successor will eventually need to pay for. Lots of fun stuff planned for the future, as you can imagine.

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The ANBU stood, unmoving, in front of the Hokage.

"Rat, you have a difficult, but important task."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. How may I serve?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Senju Tsunade has been absent from the village for nearly six years. Her agreement with me is that she is required to return for one month every five years, at a minimum. I wish for you to…remind her of this obligation. I believe she is in the western part of Fire Country. Can you perform this task?"

Rat nodded, but his head did not bounce back up.

"You have something to say?"

"I will be glad to give the Slug Mistress the message, but I would…request that you write the message. I believe she will give it more credence if it came from you."

"Very likely." Sarutobi's aged hand began scratching away on a fresh scroll. His words were less diplomatic than what he'd asked Rat to relay. He also added a warning about harming the messenger.

Sarutobi would see his student in less than four weeks or else he would send Jiraiya out, when he returned, to bring the woman forcibly back to the village in chains.

He was tired of her shenanigans, tired of her apathy.

She was a powerful kunoichi and did nothing. She had been gifted with a legendary facility healing people and did nothing with it. She was a horrible gambler and did nothing but dump money down a bottomless pit. She was a walking wreck…and Sarutobi was done humoring her.

For the longest time, he hoped she'd come to her senses and return voluntarily. Had she done so, he might have even tried to convince her to take the position of Godaime Hokage.

But…now…he had less humor about this mess.

He finished his harshly worded message, signed and stamped it, and then passed it to Rat.

"If she resists accepting the scroll or becomes angry, just leave. Your job is just to deliver the message. If she looks like she is about to punch you, she likely is. She might be a legend, but she has terrible control over her emotions. Get out of her way. I will expect a personal report when you return. If it takes longer than four weeks to locate her, discontinue your search. Questions?"

The ANBU shook his head.

"Thank you and good luck."

"I am sure I will need it, Lord Hokage."

After the ANBU left, Sarutobi sighed again. "You might need every bit of luck…. I hate this, all of this. Tsunade; Jiraiya…I trained the best and they turn out mentally weak and corrupt, not the way Orochimaru was, but in different ways. I am too old to be Hokage, but I cannot even give the job away. Everyone turns me down…."

He shoved the anger down.

He went back to his pile of paperwork. The report on the Raikage made Sarutobi curse his infirmity. He had threatened a lot at that 'peace' conference, but it would have been a challenge to do the things he'd promised. But…he should still have ended that horrible ninja's life.

He had two jinchuuriki in his village, one the brother of the previous Raikage. And he was involved in the Hyuuga massacre, it was now confirmed. Also, it was possible he had a young Hyuuga male child.

This poor Hinata child seemed broken in so many ways…and there wasn't any way to undo it. Hyuuga pride had taken them from Konoha; arrogance had kept them from forming an 'inferior' new alliance; and the shroud of mystery with which they operated had permitted Hidden Cloud to slaughter all of refugees except for Hinata and perhaps a few other children.

He marked the scroll "Read, No Action."

Perhaps he'd be able… No, why was he trying to kid himself? He needed to stall and allow a successor into this office. That person…would deal with this Raikage.

He had purchased, at a potentially heavy cost, two or three years of 'peace' from Lightning and Wind Countries. But as they managed to cobble together new finances, they would be back…and horribly angry.

He felt like he had just spent Konohamaru's trust fund in order to do this…and in a way, he had. People of his generation would be dealing with the mess Sarutobi had just created…for a few years' breathing room.

The old man didn't kid himself. While Orochimaru had planned an invasion, Sarutobi's harsh response had just planted the seeds for the Fourth Great Shinobi War. It would percolate for a while, but eventually the fully brewed mess would return like a wave trying to crush everything.

He tried to put that out of mind, but it didn't want to go.

Especially when Sarutobi finally realized – for sure – that Jiraiya was truly unfit to become Hokage. That first mission report scroll had brought the hairs on the back of Sarutobi's neck up as if he were in the presence of the Shinigami himself.

Jiraiya earned one point in his favor: the report was so negative and brutal, Jiraiya earned a point for honesty.

But…the contents of that report alone were enough to keep Sarutobi from ever asking Jiraiya to be Hokage again.

To be so irresponsible…when he knew Naruto was being hunted…to take thirty minutes to track down so much chakra usage…to be out in some bar floozy's apartment massaging her feet and painting her toe nails after taking his pleasure with her…to force a chuunin to outwit two S-ranked kidnappers. There was no excuse.

Sarutobi was seriously considering summoning Enma next time Jiraiya appeared before him…and giving only the instruction, "Make sure he lives, Monkey King. I don't care how many weeks he spends in the hospital."

He reached into his desk…and his hand almost stopped at that horrifying scroll Jiraiya had sent him. Instead, he willed it to another scroll.

He pulled it out and unrolled it.

It contained the names, in order, of who should be approached as Hokage should Sarutobi die before he'd formally appointed his successor.

He drew a line through Jiraiya's name. Tsunade's name hadn't been on this scroll for some time.

Hatake Kakashi's name was here…only for his relative strength. As a leader and administrator, Sarutobi would be better off leaving his village to be run by his monkey summons…or perhaps the slugs.

Uzuki Yuugao's name was here. While she had power, and had proven her leadership chops in the ANBU, she was also too brittle to take the position of Hokage.

There were the names of a few has-beens, caretakers should the worst happen. People like his former teammates, some of the few who hadn't betrayed the village's Kyuubi secrets all those years ago.

Then…horror of all horrors…Maito Gai. He was strong. He possessed a powerful summoning contract, the turtles. He was an excellent teacher, one of the best of the jounin-sensei corps. But his personality…it was almost an immediate disqualifer. Good to motivate the troops, perhaps, but unlikely to earn respect from fellow Kages and Daimyos he would have to work with.

The last name on the list had been added a few months ago, before he'd even made the young man's legacy public. Namikaze Naruto. Of all of these, he wasn't the strongest…yet…and he wasn't the wisest or the most diplomatic. But, even at his young age, he was probably the best choice.

Still, if Sarutobi died tomorrow, Naruto would never be given the position. He was too young. And he had the Akatsuki on his tail…which would be a huge distraction from running the village. With a likely war on the horizon, well the Hidden Leaf needed a full time Hokage.

He had been in this office, off and on, for more than forty years.

Now…he really couldn't even give it away. There was no one qualified in the way that Minato was…or that Jiraiya or even Orochimaru at one time were. All had been battle tested…all were feared by the enemy…and well respected by the military corps here. But Orochimaru had been too twisted…and Jiraiya too brittle…and Minato, while strong, had been too willing to throw his body and his life at a problem while leaving his village almost completely vulnerable in his absence.

The Hokage thought about scribbling a few more names. Perhaps Yamanaka Inoichi? He was strong and could think. Or perhaps….

No. He no longer felt like it was really his choice. He had held out so long looking for a perfect candidate that he no longer felt like he was approaching this rationally.

He needed a more neutral opinion…if he could even find someone to take this pestilent job…

His mind stopped in that moment. A neutral opinion…of people who wanted this job….

A horrible, wonderful, disturbing, superb idea formed in his aged, crafty mind. It was almost too clever for words.

He reached for a fresh scroll to begin jotting down notes. There were a lot of holes in this initial idea, but if he could resolve them…if…then this might be the answer to all his problems.

To have public acclaim for the Godaime…to have him feared by enemies…and respected by the ninja corps…and as well prepared for the war soon to come.

It was crazy, but it might just work.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Naruto was sick to his stomach. Not because he was on a boat or because he was dizzy or ill. No…he had his eyes opened wide because of this 'training exercise' Jiraiya had sent him on.

At present Naruto was lifting a box and carrying it from a dock to an empty section of a warehouse.

He, in his 'dumb guy' disguise, now worked for the Gato Corporation's Warehouse #117.

This building dealt with trade goods mostly, but Naruto's chakra-enhanced senses detected illegal drugs in some of the boxes.

That didn't bother him.

No, it was the bits of gossip he overheard. The times when the women would be coming in. The times when the next shipments of servants would be leaving.

He dropped the box into the warehouse and took a break. The breakroom was where he did his best investigation: the gossipy thugs who worked here loved bragging about what they knew, what they'd heard, or what they'd just made up.

Naruto poured some saki into his tea, which was apparently a popular thing to do in Wave Country, then he sat down, grunted, and sipped slowly. That was how most of the thugs interacted. Silence and perhaps grunting. A few who knew each other would gossip like old women during their breaks. That's what Naruto wanted to hear.

"You can't go against the oyabun of the boats. He's got a nukenin from Mist on each one, they say. Costs a lot but it keeps pirates away as well as thieves," one thug said, apparently disappointed to point out a huge hole in another thug's plans.

"Blast," a dumber looking thug responded. "We took jobs here just so we could get close to the boats. All the best stuff is gone by the time we're called in. I want the primo stuff…."

"Well, the good stuff gets handed off to the oyabun of the ports usually. Do we have anyone in there?"

"No. Not hiring right now. The oyabun of the warehouses needs a lot of strong backs, but the port authorities operate and charge their taxes and levies with a small number of idiots, with a powerful nukenin for backup."

"This is just a mess. I don't want to carry about sacks of flour or sake or even the watered down drugs they sell to people on the streets. I want the pure stuff…."

Naruto finished his sake, stumbled to his feet, and wandered back into the warehouse to continue his 'job.'

Over the next half hour, he sketched out what he knew. Three bosses divided up Gato: one for the boats, one for the ports and taxation of all non-Gato boats, and one for warehousing of goods and distribution of street-quality drugs. Handling three bosses was harder than just one, of course.

Naruto spent the rest of the day trying to piece together a plan…a plan to end Gato's control of Wave from beyond the grave. Not only did it need to be smashed, but it needed to be obliterated so that it couldn't reform.

Naruto had only four more days before he and Jiraiya had to escort the kiss ass diplomat back to Fire Country. Not much time to plan out this much chaos.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Hyuuga Hinata walked into the Konoha Ninja Academy. It was strange being here, a place where she could learn. She had spent the last week getting to know all the surviving Hyuuga in Konoha, but each new person made her think of her missing son.

She didn't even know his name.

She walked over to the oldest person in the main hall and said, "Excuse me. I was looking for the Administrator's office."

The young man – no, ninja, he had a forehead protector on – smiled at her and pointed down one of the halls. "Just at the end of that hall, Miss."

Hinata smiled a bit and then headed down the hall. Learning to smile – learning the reasons why someone would want to smile – had been awkward. It still hurt her muscles to hold a smile for any length of time.

She knocked on the door a few moments later and was invited inside. The aging man, a Jonin if she understood how the various ninja ranks tended to dress, stood up and pointed to a chair.

"Thank you," Hinata said.

"I had a note from the Hokage. I understand you wish to become a ninja?"

"Yes."

"You are Hyuuga. Do you have any experience molding chakra?"

Hinata nodded. She had learned something that basic long before her parents were murdered.

"Good. Sometimes young men and women who decide to become ninja after they enter puberty…sometimes they no longer have the ability to unlock their chakra. But you started early."

Hinata tried to smile, but it really felt uncomfortable. This administrator didn't seem to be asking questions. Was he expecting her to talk about herself?

"You are a bit on the old side to be placed in a first year class. The Hokage approved permitting you a tutor, as well, so that's what we'll do."

Hinata nodded. "I understand. How long do you think it will take me to become proficient?"

"A lifetime," the jounin said, smiling. "Sorry, it's a little joke. A ninja continues to learn until the second he dies…or else he dies at a very young age. How fast you progress is up to you. If you're dedicated, I suppose I will see you again in a year or so for the genin examinations held once a year. If not, it might well take you longer."

"I see. Might I meet with my tutor today?"

"Yes. I have a chuunin who's trying for jounin soon, so he's off standard rotation. Umino Iruka is a very gifted teacher, I think you'll find."

Hinata made to stand before the jounin waved her back into her seat.

"I had one more question. I ask this of all the students I talk with: why do you want to be a ninja?"

Hinata blinked. "You don't have to worry about my motivation. I will learn as much as this Umino Iruka can teach me. Someone important to me was kidnapped from me. I wish to have the strength to help get him back."

The jounin stared into Hinata's unnerving eyes for a few moments, then nodded. "I see. Thank you for your directness. I will walk you to Iruka's office."

"I appreciate that."

Until Hinata arrived at the chuunin's office, she didn't speak. She had an odd presence when she was silent, an unnerving presence. Umino Iruka picked up on it immediately.

Hinata was going to be a tough nut to crack. But he vowed to try.

"Have a seat, young lady. We'll start your first lesson right now, if you're willing?"

"I would like nothing better."

In her mind, Hinata kept telling herself 'I will find my son. I will find a way.'

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Itachi stood inside a partially destroyed, hardened bunker underneath a few acres of rice fields. He was sifting through the rubble of the part of Hidden Sound he had just damaged.

Many of the places he'd read from Kabuto's memories were manned by the Hidden Leaf now, but they hadn't found all of these places, the very worst ones.

This one had been a perverse sort of hospital.

Instead of making sick people better, it made reasonably healthy people ill in order to attempt to heal them. What little Itachi had seen indicated there was a massive failure rate in what they attempted to do.

He spent hours investigating the place. The spot where the Uchiha 'materials' had once been kept was empty. Someone had moved them outside of Kabuto's presence, even though he was a chief researcher for the Snake Bastard.

Kabuto's mind had given Itachi the location of relatively few other research locations. One of them had been under Leaf control; there were two others outside Rice Country that Itachi hadn't traveled to. But he needed to find and destroy what Orochimaru had stolen from his clan.

Then…then…what came next?

He involuntarily blinked a few times during this moment of confusion. He didn't know. He'd been so focused for so long on vengeance; he just wasn't sure what came next.

The anger welled up inside him again. His Mangekyo Sharingan flashed into rapid movement. Orochimaru was dead, taken from him, from his rightful justice.

Was there anyone else as guilty? Was that old bastard Jiraiya an accomplice…by allowing the Snake Sannin to survive a desertion? What about the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village? They had created and trained that monster. Did they deserve to perish in flames?

His Sharingan stopped and the red in his eye reverted to black. The tears of blood dripped down his face, but Itachi didn't bother to wipe them clean.

He didn't notice them.

He was thinking about his next avocation: to judge whether the Hidden Leaf deserved to burn for creating and not stopping their Snake Sannin. Itachi couldn't destroy Orochimaru any longer, but he could destroy the village that created such a monster.

He moved through the broken tunnels. He began placing high-intensity explosive notes in critical places. After he finished his inspection, he'd reduce the place to a hole in the ground.

There were a few other places like this…then it was time to head into the Leaf.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped onto the floor of the arena in Konoha proper. Only Konoha shinobi were present at this time. He'd repeat this speech in less than an hour for any and all comers in the 'other' Konoha arena, the one created to handle the Sound/Sand invasion.

He still thought the plan was a bit crazy, but he had no better options. All of the most powerful remaining Konoha shinobi were unfit for high office, especially his alcoholic student Tsunade. All of the good administrative minds, such as Yamanaka Inoichi, were nowhere near Kage-level in terms of their ninja skills.

He had to do this.

Jiraiya had written that he was a fool for doing this – as the Hokage had decided to permit a small number of people to comment before dropping this bomb. Naruto, however, seemed enthused about the idea. Perhaps that should be equally troubling. The boy would, no doubt, attempt to participate.

"Good morning, shinobi of the Leaf. I am sorry to drag all of you away from your assignments, but this message is very important. I wish for all of you to hear it directly from me. No second hand nonsense.

"As most of you should be able to see, I am an old, old man." This line got a bit of nervous laughter, as the Hokage had intended.

"I have decided on a process for selecting my successor, my second successor, unfortunately. As the Hidden Leaf village upholds the most democratic traditions of any of the Hidden Villages, I have settled on a general plebiscite for selecting the Godaime Hokage…."

That got people talking. No one had ever done anything like that. It sounded so odd in a military dictatorship to extol the virtues of democracy…but ninjas always were a bit schizophrenic.

"As with any offer, there are rules. Let's start with the people who will have their names on the ballot. They have the next six months to decide whether to come forward. Then each person will submit him- or herself to a series of six public challenges I have designed, one each month for six months. About one year from today's date, the names of those who have passed the six challenges will appear on a ballot.

"Now, let's talk about who may vote. All Konoha-based ninja and civilians over the age of twelve may go through the qualification process to vote. All one need do is attend each of the six public challenges. Each person who goes to all six will be entitled to vote. People who attend five of the six challenges – or fewer – will not be permitted to vote."

Voices called out questions or tried to. Sarutobi raised his hand to silence them.

"Hold on. There will be time for questions in the coming days and weeks. Right now, I would like to talk a bit about the public challenges and then spend a moment talking about why I'm selecting my successor in this manner. I'm sure most of your questions fall in those two buckets, anyway.

"Each challenge will test some aspect of being Hokage as I understand the role. Some of the challenges are mental; others are physical; some have many tactical solutions, some can be completed only through the use of a single correct strategic framework. Any person entering and passing the first challenge may proceed to the second or drop out. No questions asked.

"The subject of the first challenge, by the way, is wisdom. While the Hokage must be powerful, he or she must also possess a keen, well-honed mind. He or she must know what to do in unexpected or perilous situations. I leave the rest to your imaginations for now.

"As to why I have decided to throw the succession open to the public, let me be blunt. All four of the Hokages to this point have risen to prominence because of war. Thankfully, the world has been reasonably quiet this past decade. None of our younger ninja have had the opportunity to make reputations for themselves. Whoever I select as my replacement must have the backing of the ninja and the civilian population. People must know that the Godaime is strong enough to protect everyone. What better way than to allow all of you the chance to see the would-be Godaime candidates prove themselves and make their names famous. It is better this tournament than another war, I think.

"Now, I have said my peace on this matter. The paperwork to become a declared candidate will be available in the Hokage Tower starting tomorrow afternoon. I ask all of you to remain while I head off to deliver this speech to the general public. To keep you from leaving and gossiping before I'm ready for it, I have asked Morino Ibiki, the head of our Ninja Fitness Program, to tell you about this year's qualification courses."

The groan was loud. No one liked tests, especially ones run by Ibiki. But ninja were supposed to be discrete and yet they were some of the biggest gossips. So, he had to keep them busy until he could deliver this news to the civilians.

Hopefully Ibiki would work them all over very well. Too many people were getting injured on missions lately. Carelessness, perhaps, or dereliction in training.

Whatever the reason, it had to stop.

The Hokage was halfway across the village, jumping from roof to roof, when he realized a snag in his whole plan. Konohamaru, his precious grandson, would no doubt demand to enter the tournament.

"Blast!"

The way the rules were written, anyone could enter. The Hokage would not change them now, not even to protect Konohamaru from himself.

'I'll have to let him enter if he asks. I hope his mother forgives me in the next life.'

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Naruto decided today was his last day working at Warehouse #117. He had two days until he had to leave, but he couldn't stand being close to this corruption any longer.

The plan was a rough one, but it should suffice. At four o'clock, all hands were requested to be ready to offload ships. That meant around three o'clock a whole lot of ships would be clogging up the main strait between Fire and Wave.

Naruto left a Shadow Clone in place when he set off on his mission. The key was the boats. If there were no transportation, there would be no monopoly and no way to import and export the most valuable illegalities: women and drugs.

Naruto created another Shadow Clone and sent it off to the Port Office. As he ran to the southwestern tip of the island, he peeled off Shadow Clones every few minutes. All of them quickly disappeared off the road.

He did stop at one innocuous building far from the water. He took thirty minutes to saturate it in explosive notes. After all, the thugs had gossiped back and forth about this building and what happened here in the late evening hours. It was the greatest club in Wave, even if it looked abandoned now.

All the thugs in the warehouse professed to going. Most claimed they had seen the various oyabun here too on a regular basis. A club where rival leaders felt comfortable was probably some sort of neutral ground, perhaps even a nerve center.

Naruto finished his rigging and left a Shadow Clone illusioned as a tree branch.

What Naruto planned wasn't one big attack. No, he planned something far different. He was planning to create a massive act of God, untraceable back to shinobi…followed up by a clear signal that ninja were involved and displeased.

It was the mystery surrounding shinobi that terrified non-shinobi enemies. They could do abnormal things. Naruto planned to up the mystery factor ten fold.

He arrived at the foot of a massive, incomplete bridge and waited. The bridge should have been a thing of beauty, but now it was rusting away in spots. Someone had poured a lot of love into its incomplete construction. Had Gato stopped it? Used his Mist nukenin to frighten off or kill the workers?

Why were ninja always just a little too late to solve problems?

Naruto tried to clear his mind. He reverted to one of the chakra control exercises that were almost second nature to him now. He walked over to the bridge and began to 'climb' it without actually touching it. Sure he moved his arms and legs correctly, but he didn't come within an inch of the metal. His arms and legs moving were just for show in case anyone happened to catch a glimpse of him. A guy climbing a bridge is a lot less odd than a guy floating in the air.

While it calmed his nerves and centered his mind, all this upward movement came from exerting control over the air. It was the best exercise he and the Hokage had yet developed for him to use. He made it up and back down three times before the ships he was looking for became visible in the light fog.

Half the trick of being a good ninja was waiting for the right moment. Naruto was by nature impatient, but he held still for twenty long minutes.

Then he unleashed chaos. He thickened the air behind the sails of the ancient boat sailing west. A moment later it went from fifteen knots an hour to fifty. It plowed straight into a modern, metal, gleaming boat likely carrying tons of drugs to Gato Corporation warehouses.

A few moments later another ship appeared out of the fog, a virtual convoy on the seas designed to keep pirates at pay. An artificial gust of wind hit this boat, too. The force almost grounded the boat onto the pilings where the bridge would never be finished on the Fire Country side. The boat didn't reach dry earth, but it did run over the thick concrete footings that were waiting for a bridge to use them.

A few moments later a gust of wind hit the semi-grounded boat and caused it to capsize. The rolling motion against the concrete footing tore a three foot gash from port to stern along the boat's hull.

For the next thirty minutes, Naruto used the fog to help him destroy a fleet of Gato ships. He used only direct wind manipulation; he used no ninjutsu, nothing with his chakra signature attached to it. The shinobi who would eventually come to investigate this 'strange occurrence' would find nothing pointing to a ninja's hand.

By the time Naruto left, the entire Gato convoy was wrecked. Eighteen vessels in all. The strait was almost totally packed from Fire to Wave with tightly compacted metal. Naruto could easily hop along this new 'bridge' without getting his feet wet.

Naruto hid himself along the shore waiting to see who would be coming to check on the delayed boats. This point right here was the place where most foul-ups happened, or so the thugs at Warehouse #117 reported.

According to those unreliable sources, more than a dozen vessels had been wrecked here in the last decade. That was why it was a perfect place to put a bridge. It was actually fairly dangerous to cross this spot in a boat.

Too bad only ninja would be able to leap well enough to use the new 'Great Naruto Bridge' constructed from drug runners' broken boats.

At six o'clock a group arrived to see where the ships were. Naruto immediately picked out the cocky guy in charge. He would be following this group back…likely to the boating oyabun's base of operations.

The angered group showed up at a run down warehouse on the northern stretch of the main island a little before eight. This was headquarters.

Naruto stealthily ghosted around the facility laying explosive notes. A little before ten two more groups of people showed up. Two people seemed to be more important than anyone else: probably the rival oyabun.

As the clock struck midnight, nearly a hundred sets of explosions rocked the quiet night. The warehouse with the three oyabuns inside was gone. A shadow clone stationed near the club used by the various thugs dispelled; the club was destroyed. Clone after clone dispelled and the memories flowed.

The last one he received: Warehouse #117 was history.

He began walking like a civilian would back to the hotel where he and Jiraiya were staying. He pondered over what he'd done in this past week. He had killed for the first time, killed a lot. He didn't feel bad…now. But it might take some time for reality to set in. It felt more like a service than anything. The more time he had spent with the thugs in Warehouse #117, the more he appreciated the assignment Jiraiya had given him.

The Toad Sage would likely have much to say about how Naruto had accomplished his task…but it was clear it was done. It was a bloody affair, but there was no way to take out three rival power bases cleanly. At least the two-pronged plan had netted up the main leaders: a 'natural disaster' happens that causes the rivals to get together where they can be cleanly assassinated en masse.

Naruto paused before opening his hotel door. There was someone inside. He had become especially careful of hotels since meeting Kisame and Tobi. A closer sensing, using the air inside the room, revealed it to be his hairy sensei. Naruto opened the door and walked inside.

"I heard it all the way over here. You don't do things by half measures, do you, kid?"

"I'm not a kid," Naruto snapped. "I am also tired. Unless…."

"Okay. Okay. I'll go investigate in the morning, but I have few doubts you were thorough. Full debrief tomorrow?"

"Sounds great."

"Good job, ki…err, Naruto. You've earned a good technique from me. How about an Earth Style? Maybe Swamp of the Underworld. A kid like you needs more wide area techniques, I'd say."

"Really?" Naruto's flagging adrenaline spiked for a moment.

"We can start tomorrow. Sleep in. I'll be by at ten." The door closed quietly behind the senior ninja.

"Night," Naruto said, before his exhausted body almost crumpled into the bed.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Tobi thinks tournaments are fun. Can we go? Tobi wants to see all the happy people!"

Pain tried to keep his temper as an angry Uchiha Madara kept spouting off nonsense about the Sandaime Hokage's crazy plans for succession.

That Madara had been denied that position, that it was now open to the public – it made him positively livid.

Kakuzu looked at Pain for some help. No one but Pain seemed to know how to deal with Tobi…and Pain was at a loss here.

Kisame finally got bored of Tobi's ranting and asked, "Is there anyway we can turn this to our advantage? Our true goal is to create a little peace through better violence. This will be a very public forum, undoubtedly with a lot of spies, assassins, and others around. A good time to frame up Mist for killing the Hokage or something?"

Pain quirked his head to the left as he pondered.

"…Tobi likes red things. Blood dripping off a kunai is just too pretty…."

Pain shook his head. "I will think on it. I do not think we will have the power we wish at our disposal by then. We might have collected one or two bijous in that timeframe, but we won't have enough to really put the plan into effect, even if this fool Sarutobi has given us a great opportunity."

The little orange-masked ninja slammed his hands on the sides of his chair. "Tobi will enter the tournament! Yes, Tobi will be most powerful Hokage!" By the time he finished shouting, he was standing on his feet jumping up and down.

Pain sighed. Hidan was behaving himself for once so why did Tobi go off and stay off the deep end? Kakuzu looked like he was trying to determine if there was any value in murdering Tobi.

"We will send observers," Pain announced. "If this tournament allows us to advance our agenda in some way, we will use it. Otherwise, we will have Kisame and Tobi use the chaos around the tournament to secure the Nine Tails for us."

"Oh, yes! So many pretty tails. All red, too! Tobi will have Nine Tails when he's Hokage!"

The meeting ended shortly thereafter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The teacher and his student walked down a tree lined road heading toward the Hidden Leaf Village. As usual, the conversation was a bit tense.

"So," Naruto said. The young ninja's eyes were little bigger than slits in his scrunched up face.

"What?" Jiraiya said. "I can't help it if you have a low affinity for earth style techniques. You need to keep working on the Swamp of the Underworld, like I showed you…."

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he stared at his teacher. "I have more chakra than you do, Bastard Sensei, and my result with that technique is a tenth the size of what you can work. I've been practicing with it ever since we left Wave, so two weeks now…."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, brat. I think you need to get your body used to working with the earth affinity chakra."

Naruto stopped walking. "Don't you know anything else? I don't think this technique is going to be very useful for what the Old Man and I have been working on…for the style of fighting I've been putting together."

Jiraiya kept walking and shrugged. "Expand your horizons, Naruto."

The young man grumbled but then started walking again. Jiraiya let the silence continue for a few minutes.

"Alright, I admit it. My jutsu just don't really fit you. Many of my most powerful techniques I learned and developed in my sage training. You don't have that training, so you won't be able to use them unless you spend a good long while with the toads. Actually, I sorta stopped inventing new non-sage techniques about, oh, twenty years ago."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you for admitting that. At least we're talking the same language now. So, what are you thinking?"

"You're great with elemental chakra, right? How about I teach you your father's main attack technique, the Spiraling Sphere, and you can work your wind affinity chakra into it…."

Naruto smiled and began nodding his head. Jiraiya looked thoughtful for a moment, then frowned.

"Hold on," Jiraiya said. "Answer me this: you've been arguing with me about what I was supposed to teach you. What have you been working on? My Old Teacher said I had to teach you something and you had to develop something, remember?"

"I do. What I want to create isn't finished, but I have something ready."

Jiraiya looked a bit annoyed. "Are you going to show me? I'd like to make sure it isn't stupid, especially if the Hokage decides we slacked off too much while we were gone."

"Alright. How about in those trees over there?" Naruto asked, pointing just off to the right of the road they were on. "I'd like to keep the results a little bit hidden."

"Ninjas and their secrets. Fine."

Jiraiya kept his hand on Naruto's shoulder as the pair of them walked a few meters into the forest.

Naruto walked a few paces ahead of Jiraiya and then stopped. He turned his head back toward his teacher. "This is a combo. I use pure wind chakra plus a wind style jutsu."

"Enough yammering. Show me what you've got, eh?"

Naruto got into a ready stance. From the back, Jiraiya could tell the kid was flipping through a couple of handseals. And then…the forest in front of Naruto disintegrated and blew away.

Jiraiya's jaw literally dropped. Some of the now destroyed trees had been thirty meters tall. And there was no trace left.

"That's unfinished, kid? What's it supposed to look like when it's done?"

"I'm keeping that to myself," Naruto said, smiling.

"You gearing up for war? That's the kind of thing you could never use in a spar. How in the world did you do it, anyway?"

Naruto turned around, apparently satisfied with this test run. "I form up sharpened wind blades and use them to slash everything to pieces and then use a Great Breakthrough-style technique to blow it all away. I call it the Breath of God."

Jiraiya rocked forward and back a few times while his face was scrunched up carefully examining everything in front of him. "Hot damn. You even pulled up a few centimeters of dirt. Everything's gone. I can see the holes where a few trees were pulled out, roots and all."

"I have been working on a wide area technique even before you got me thinking about them again when you showed me the Swamp of the Underworld. I picked up my earlier work…and, well, this is how far I got."

"I think Sensei will be quite impressed. I know I am."

"Thank you."

"So, that's about as big an offensive technique as you'll need for a while." Jiraiya touched Naruto's shoulder and directed him back to the road. They did have to be back in Konoha by the sunset the following day, after all. "Have you done anything sneaky with the wind?"

"Working on it." Naruto didn't want to confess that he could use the wind to verify identities in enclosed spaces, like hotel rooms.

Jiraiya slapped Naruto on his shoulder. "Good. Good! Every ninja needs help in that department. You know, I also wonder how you might ride a wind blade. You know, as a speed thing in battle…."

Naruto smiled and listened. He'd wait until the old guy stopped talking before asking about the Spiraling Sphere again. Even if he was irresponsible, he had some good ideas tumble out of his mouth.

"Well, I've been thinking about speed. My father used seals, something like a summoning technique to move him from place to place. I wonder if that's the only way to fight… That's what I'm trying to imagine. How do I get on a field of battle and not need to be fast to win – that's power. There will always be someone faster or smarter or more powerful than me…but that doesn't matter if they can't reach me to attack me. If I can attack from a distance when they have to get within an arm's reach, well, I win."

"Yes," Jiraiya said. "But that isn't how ninja fight. No open fields, arrayed up like two armies ready to pummel each other. It's all sneaking through forests or mountain passes and ambushing each other…. You likely wouldn't have the first clue you were about to be attacked…assuming the ambusher isn't an idiot."

Naruto listened to his teacher. The old guy knew his stuff, especially his implied suggestion that he might use the wind to keep track of people around him in densely packed areas, like forests or well populated villages. However, Naruto already had a good idea in his mind what his final style would look like. Jiraiya played to his personal strengths, his unpredictability, his summons, his special toad training. Naruto wanted to play to his own strengths: his comfort with the wind and his enormous well of power.

He wondered if he should try to talk the Hokage into letting him go out on another training trip with Jiraiya…or if the Hokage, in his single hour per week, would be more help than the Toad Sannin.

The two hadn't gotten off to a great start…but as three weeks had passed since that terrible night, Naruto thought he was looking at things more objectively. He just didn't know who to ask for help: a time-strapped Hokage or the careless ninja chattering away next to him.

"How do you move quickly then?" Naruto asked.

"Pure speed. I don't have any fancy tricks like Minato did…."

"So why do I need them?"

Jiraiya stopped and looked at Naruto. Then he smiled and snorted. "You know, that's a good question. You're a demolitionist right now…but with speed you could be something else. Think about that, huh, when you plan things with the Old Monkey. Don't let your gifts dictate what you can do…. Figure out what you want to do, then make your gifts help you get there."

By the smile on Jiraiya's face, even he thought his pronouncement wise.

But Naruto didn't have a lot of patience for all this speculation. He knew only two things for sure. He needed to get back into serious training; this entire trip with Jiraiya had been interesting but not really all that helpful with his training. Kisame and that Tobi weren't done coming after him yet. He gave himself a year in his mind, a year to have the strength to battle either one to a draw and then escape. He realized it would take a lot of luck or even more years of training to be able to kill someone of that caliber.

And, two, he didn't want to rely any more on the fox in his gut. To his mind, Naruto realized if he wasn't good enough to go toe-to-toe with his pursuers without the fox, then he really didn't deserve to win. It was a matter of pride with him: Naruto should be and would be a powerful ninja under his own steam.

"Sounds good. So…let's talk some more about this Spiraling Sphere, eh?"

Jiraiya winked at Naruto. "Nope. First, you are going to tell me how you went about inventing your Breath of God technique. I want to get a feel for how you think…and to figure out how to tighten up what you did. Don't get me wrong, it's impressive…but I felt the chakra expelled. You should get more effect for that level of chakra, I think."

Naruto rolled his eyes. He had explained that the technique was incomplete. He already knew he needed to make it more efficient and larger.

To be honest, he needed to get the Breath of God technique pulled together fast. He needed the Spiraling Sphere. He needed everything he could get his hands on…and experience most of all. He could do a lot right now, but he didn't have the instincts for when to do this or that thing. One year seemed liked a long time, but Naruto knew it would fly by.

He needed to get every advantage he could…before his few moments of safety were gone. Before he had to finally deal with Kisame and Tobi and their colleagues – or else perish.

There were two paths, Naruto determined. He could perish or prevail. And he wasn't about to accept one of them. Not while he had a breath in his body.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Uchiha Itachi walked into the Hokage Tower on a sunny afternoon. "Excuse me, I'd like an application…."

"For the tournament," a grumpy ninja responded.

"Yes," Itachi said, smiling. He was dressed as a simple farmer. He had dirt still caked to his shoes, like he'd stepped off his land a few hours earlier. It was a good disguise, an earnest disguise.

The ninja didn't give Itachi a second look. He grabbed a slip of paper and passed it to Itachi. "You can turn that in here. The Hokage will have instructions delivered to each contender one week before the tournament starts…."

"I'll return the paperwork in a few days, then. Thanks for your help!"

As Itachi left the building, his smile disappeared as if it had never been there. He wasn't big on happiness.

He had been in Konoha for two days now. He barely remembered it as a child, but now everything about it made him angry.

Itachi had lived a dangerous life after the death of his aunt, uncle, brother, and the rest of his clan. He had eaten rats on the direst days and gone hungry more times than he could remember.

He walked through the village. He could feel eyes on him, eyes hidden by shadows. Since he had walked into the Hokage Tower, he had marked himself as interesting to the watchers of this village.

Good…at least they weren't as foolish as other places Itachi had worked.

But…if they weren't fools here, were they deserving of death? Had they created a monster – and left the problem too long? Had this place killed his family with its indifference? Orochimaru had once walked these streets, too.

How culpable was this village as a whole? That was what he didn't yet know. He had seen a few Uchiha still here…but he didn't know how they'd come to remain in the Hidden Leaf. He needed to get close to a few of them and 'engage' them in conversation.

But not this day. Not with watchers omnipresent.

Instead, Itachi spent hours walking and stopping in shops and vendor stalls. There were few better ways for a hunter-nin to extract wide-ranging, general information than to listen where people felt comfortable gossiping.

Eventually Itachi settled into an outdoor lunchery. He had spotted a target of interest – a woman wearing a strong genjutsu who felt more powerful than any kunoichi Itachi had ever come across. Tsunade. Of the Sannin. One of Orochimaru's former teammates. People throughout Fire Country had been gossiping about the Legendary Sucker being recalled to Konoha…and not allowed to wager any more.

Itachi sat and ate and drank…and judged.

"It's a goddamned crime, that old bastard," the illusioned Slug Mistress moaned. "Forcing me back here. Trying to guilt me into rebuilding the hospital that he let fall into a sad state…."

"It's not that bad, Lady Tsunade," another woman replied. She looked around the same age as the illusion that the Slug Mistress wore…but the black haired woman wasn't hiding her age, Itachi determined.

"He revoked my travel papers, the shriveled bastard. So I was a year late in turning up. I usually come here, teach a few med nins how to pull their fingers from their assholes, and then leave again. He's getting to be a genuine asshole as he goes senile!"

The companion's went wide at this last outburst from the blonde. "Quiet, Lady Tsunade. That's really enough. What you're saying could get you accused of treason…."

A snort interrupted another drink of sake. When Tsunade finished drinking she almost yelled, "Pish posh. The old monkey is too weak in the heart to do anything like that…. Although he did finally deal with my old teammate. Too bad it was more than a decade too late…."

Itachi drank some water as he kept himself from involuntarily nodding his agreement.

"Lady Tsunade, I really wish you'd just go back and start work at the hospital…instead of this. I really am…bored, I guess."

An indifferent shrug. "You're welcome to go work on a bunch of useless Leaf ninja. I am here under protest. The Old Man can make me remain in town, but he can't make me do anything else…and he knows it."

Itachi listened to the two women argue back and forth. He half wanted to stick the woman in a genjutsu and drive her insane by forcing her to listen to the words spewing out of her mouth.

He would not do such a thing in such a crowded place, especially when he was being watched…by more than the usual complement of security officers. Perhaps the Slug Mistress was also being watched?

Itachi almost wished he could meet the Hokage. He seemed a paradox: weak and then strong; a kindly military dictator; old but resolute; a great teacher who turned out worthless students; a leader of a village who could not retire because none of the younger generation is strong enough; a successful failure. Mostly Itachi wanted to meet the teacher of Orochimaru…and to weigh that man's potential crimes.

Itachi kept a close watch on Tsunade. He ordered another sandwich and drink to keep his watchers from becoming too suspicious.

During the hour he remained at his table, the Slug Mistress drank three more cups of sake. She was as bad, then, as her other surviving teammate. The easily distracted Jiraiya – who didn't even recognize when a subtle genjutsu was applied to him to make him crave one type of food over another…just so Itachi could speak with him for a few moments.

It was late that evening when Itachi returned to his temporary lodging. He'd look for a permanent place to live tomorrow. He was going to be here for some time. Judging an entire village did take time.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The Fire Daimyo did not stand on ceremony when he barreled into Sarutobi's office. He did not bow or conduct any of the niceties.

He likely still realized that the aged ninja in front of him could kill him without bothering to rise from his desk.

But the increasingly obese Fire Daimyo did not care.

"Have you lost your mind, Sarutobi?"

The old village leader looked up from the paperwork on his desk, frowned, and gestured his 'equal' into a chair.

"I wondered why I had not received a message from you, Daimyo. I guess you wanted to deliver your…thoughtful remarks in person, eh?"

The Daimyo slammed his plump fist on the armrest. "What I'd like to do is have you examined by my personal physician. I suspect you're finally so addled that you can't do this job any longer…."

"Shut up."

Said in a quiet voice, the words were nothing special. It was the look of anger on the normally placid ninja's face. That shut the Daimyo up. Temporarily.

"I have more reasons than you could possibly understand, honorable sir. We are a hair's breadth from the Fourth Secret Ninja War. I am too old to fight this one to the conclusion, I realize. I also have no one I'd trust to immediately replace me. My students were…once qualified, but no longer. We have powerful jounin, people excellent at leading small teams. But I have, apparently, been the leader for too long. No one has pulled together the skills to be a great leader of men – of an entire village."

The Daimyo shook his head, becoming agitated again the longer the Hokage spoke. "I think you exaggerate, Hokage. I know that you have several former ANBU Captains who would do quite an admirable job…."

"Some few have the power necessary to serve as Fire Shadow. A few others are very close to the necessary power level…but none have the right kind of wisdom. I appoint people to high positions of authority, like managing the Academy or the Hunter-Nin, but none of them shine. Or they become corrupt. I have had to replace six ANBU captains over the last five years for various treasonous actions; it seems I did not remove all of old Danzo's supporters in the ANBU all those years ago.

"All my choices are bad ones. Tsunade has the family name and the power, but she loathes this village right now. Jiraiya has already turned me down three or four times. Kakashi is a powerful ninja, but would be a failure as a village leader. Trust me I have looked at everyone in our ranks."

The Daimyo leaned forward in his chair. "I don't care. You are a leader and a teacher. You should have always been grooming successors…but now you have a wealth of ninja in the village, but no one just right to follow you. I don't buy it. You are doing this for some other reason…."

Sarutobi eyed his nominal equal in Fire Country for a moment before responding. "I admit my failure in grooming successors. I had always expected Jiraiya or Tsunade or (at one time) Orochimaru would want the job. Then I had a better option, Jiraiya's student. Now…now things are different. I could appoint someone despotic and powerful, similar in spirit to my former nemesis Danzo or the Fourth Kazekage; but I would rather leave the village better off than I found it. Minato as a successor was better than I could have hoped to find; great leaders, visionary leaders, are rare. You would have me appoint someone unfit…. That seems almost treasonous."

"No. It is not treason; it is pragmatism. You ask for too much, Hokage, in your candidates. Settle on a successor now. Pick someone reasonable. Someone strong, with a powerful reputation, someone feared by our enemies. End this terrible 'tournament.' It makes you look old, weak, and foolish!"

Sarutobi picked up the pipe on his desk and examined it for a moment.

"Let us be clear, Daimyo. I do not tell you how to run your court's affairs or which of your many, many children or 'nephews' you should select to succeed you. I do not comment on the assassinations your nobles keep paying for, just to rise in prestige or rank and to rid themselves of 'rivals.' I do not condemn your weakness in permitting corruption at every level of your government. However, I choose not to embrace the same 'ideals.' I leave your business to you; you shall leave my business to me, eh?"

The pasty Daimyo looked ready to burst into a screaming tantrum.

But the Hokage stared the lord into listening a bit longer. "Your words won't be any worse than the diatribe I received from Kumo. The Raikage accused me of 'debasing' the mystery and power of the Kage by making a public entertainment of the process. Of course, his wording was not so polite."

The hefty lord's face clenched up resolute. "I can exercise my veto on this. The charter of the Hidden Leaf permits it!"

"Yes, yes, you can. But I think you will not. A team of mine came across a number of interesting documents after the three oyabun of the Gato Corporation were permanently put out of business. Would you care to guess what I found?"

The Daimyo became even more angry. "I haven't the slightest clue."

"Yes, that is very true. In this matter and in general, Daimyo, you are an idiotic fool. But on this specific point, let me enlighten you."

The Hokage pulled a battered, stained sheet of paper from a desk drawer. "This has seen better days. It was pure luck we managed to pull it out of the water before it fully disintegrated. But your signature is still visible…as are the items you agreed to purchase, on a regular, monthly basis, from Gato Corporation. Concubines…and exotic drugs. I had wondered how you knew parts of what we did…when we disrupted various criminal enterprises and raided their funds and smashed their operations. I had thought you had placed spies here, but that seemed wrong as you only knew about narrow portions of what we did. You heard when we struck weapons smugglers or slavers or other disgusting businesses. You'd come here and joke about how much money we seemed to have in our coffers. But…now I see where you got your information. You always knew when I disrupted one of your trading partners, eh?"

The Daimyo turned a casual eye over the document. "That proves nothing…."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, Daimyo. It proves that you have less sense than I once believed. No clever man, whatever his proclivities, would ever sign his name to a document like this one…or so obviously work at cross purposes to a military power sitting right next door to where he lives."

The Daimyo stood up. He was full of bluster, not allowing any fear or nervous energy to show itself. "We're done here. I will send you the veto paperwork in a few days. I had hoped to talk sense into your foolish head…."

Sarutobi nodded his head once. A flurry of senbon needles pierced the Daimyo's neck and back. The hefty lord flopped over onto the carpet.

Sarutobi looked down at the unconscious man. "As I said, you have less sense than I once believed. I had thought you basically honest, but unable to reign in the corruption in your court. Now I know differently. I had not thought this to be necessary…but times are dire. My apologies, but I will not have a sly enemy at my back when I am trying to defend against a massive group of attackers at my front."

An ANBU, with a blank mask, stepped out of the shadows, knelt down, and touched the Daimyo's flesh. "He is in a coma, Lord Hokage."

"Are you ready to perform this task, Taro?"

The ANBU then removed his blank mask. His face looked disturbingly like the downed Daimyo's face. A few moments later, it became fleshier and paler. The man's face was a precise duplicate of the Fire Lord's. It was a terribly rare, terribly useful skill to possess, to create a permanent illusion that didn't reek of chakra to any ninja standing nearby.

The Hokage sat at his desk and stared at the ANBU. He compared every feature to the comatose man on the floor. After several minutes, the Hokage said, "It is an excellent facsimile. Truly superb. Have you memorized the basic plan?"

The man nodded.

"Let's hear the voice…"

The ANBU opened his mouth and said, "Yes, Lord Hokage. I have the plan down exactly as we discussed." His voice was a perfect match for the comatose man.

"It was good, then, that the Daimyo obliged us by coming here today. Otherwise it might have been harder to get you into his place at some other time and location. I think you should depart in about five minutes or so. Happy meetings with the Daimyo last for an hour or longer. Pointed meetings, like this one obviously was, last fifteen minutes, if that long…."

The ANBU got busy pulling the fat lord from his clothing. He had the rather ridiculous garb on within the five minute time limit.

"One last question, Lord Hokage."

"Yes," Sarutobi said, looking up from his paperwork. It should have been nervewracking to him…this subversion of the country's government. But, he was a seasoned ninja and he had authorized and even performed more distasteful things than this in the last sixty years.

"Do I need to…ahem, visit my 'new' wife…."

The Hokage laughed a bit. "If my sources are correct, the Fire Lord has not visited his wife's bed since nineteen months before the birth of his last child…his only 'legitimate' male child. However, he happily produced quite a few more 'nephews' with women other than his wife."

The ANBU nodded and patted down his clothes once more.

"I will see you again in a few months, Daimyo-sama," the Hokage said.

The 'Daimyo' had his hand on the Hokage's office door and his voice raised. "I am still not amused with this idea, Lord Hokage. But I will attend to make sure the honor of Fire Country is not harmed…by this populist stunt."

The 'Daimyo' opened the door and walked outside, still muttering to himself. The door sealed behind the lord.

Only then did the Hokage stand up from his desk. His leg shook today. It had done this for hours already. The aging village leader had to grip the edge of his desk for more than a minute before his errant muscles returned to his voluntary control.

This…was new, only a few weeks old. At first, a mere twitch now and again.

Now, it was debilitating for an hour or two. Today was the first day when the loss of control had lasted more than three hours. He was confined behind his desk in those moments, unless he was alone. He could not appear weak, even if he was weakening.

He thought about the foolishness in delaying the tournament for so long…five months remained until the start. But people needed warning, needed time to train. He couldn't change the date just because his body was beginning to fail him.

He waited. When his leg finally felt better, he stepped away from the stability of his desk. It took him just a moment to secure the comatose Daimyo's body inside a storage scroll. This was a touchy piece of sealing, one of the few times Tsunade, with her medical knowledge, and Jiraiya, with his sealing knowledge, ever worked together diligently and fruitfully. His students had once been on the path to greatness twenty-some years ago. But the world moved on and things changed.

The Hokage lifted up the very small, light scroll and tucked it into one of the nooks in his office. Specifically the cubby for completed 'Retrieve Tora the Cat' missions. Where better to hide something like this than in plain sight?

After all, the Daimyo's rotund wife had spent nearly ten million ryou having her cat chased down and returned to her over the years. It was five percent of what the Daimyo and his court hired every year, but it was a symbol. To humble genin, to make them struggle over something seemingly unimportant.

To give them the skills they would eventually need when the stakes were genuine and the consequences of failure were dire.

The old man took quite a while to walk back to his desk. His leg was beginning to twitch again.

He sat down and pondered what he needed to do. He could ask Tsunade… No, that would be a bad idea. Her bitterness had fermented over the years. She was long past being loyal to the Leaf, even Sarutobi realized it although he still remembered the earnest young woman she had once been. In her own way, Tsunade was now as dangerous to Konoha as Orochimaru had been. He had hoped he was wrong to assign her ANBU watchers…but now he realized he didn't have enough of them tailing her.

The Hokage sighed and picked up his pipe. His days were numbered; his legs told him that. At the very least, he could enjoy smoking as much as he liked. After all, his health no longer really mattered. His muscles would give out long before his lungs would.

All that mattered was lasting through the next year.

Sarutobi picked up the newest report from Jiraiya. He had taken Naruto on a one week mission to Lightning Country. Everything sounded okay…if these words were true.

He marked it read and moved on.

Poor Naruto. The boy was a few years off being ready to be named Hokage. And whoever Sarutobi installed would be free to name anyone to the position later. Naruto would likely never be Hokage, even if he became the strongest in the village. It was all about politics, of course, and most people would cave to pressure.

Naruto was Namikaze, but he was also jinchuuriki. Sarutobi had protected the boy for a long time, but now that Akatsuki were moving…word of his jinchuuriki status would leak.

He read Jiraiya's letter again. He hoped Naruto was learning a lot on this trip. The first training trip, apart from Naruto almost being captured by Akatsuki, had been reasonably successful.

He snorted. Sarutobi couldn't even convince himself of this lie. It had been a disaster.

They had managed to turn it away from being a flaming disaster, though. The Swamp of Underworld was a bit undersized, but Naruto did not excel with Earth Style techniques. However, his Breath of God – that was something that could turn the direction of a battle – or disrupt an ambush – or lay a great trap for a large enemy force. Naruto, as his father had before him, was using this time to teach himself to be great; Jiraiya was along as a glorified companion.

The boy already understood that no one would push him into greatness; if he wanted it, if he wanted to survive the Akatsuki, he would need to lift himself up the path.

He hoped Jiraiya would be more responsible this time. He wished…he just wished he could bring Naruto the last few steps. He had an excellent foundation and a wily head on his shoulders. But…Sarutobi pursed his lips…the real reason he had allowed Jiraiya within a meter of Naruto was because of his failing health.

He had to stop kidding himself. He should, by all rights, have killed his student where he stood once he reported in about Hoshigaki Kisame and this Tobi creature. Leaving a genin to face that…just for the sake of getting laid. Sarutobi was as perverted as the next man…but nothing had ever caused him to neglect a duty like that.

If he were honest with himself. He wanted to train Naruto.

He needed to train someone who could come strong very quickly. He needed to fix his failing. He had counted on Tsunade or Jiraiya to succeed him – he had delayed the succession question for a decade waiting for one of them to return to their senses. He was a teacher, a great teacher, but he had nothing to show for it now.

He had no successor. He had positioned no one to take over his job without a second thought. He had failed at that most critical duty of a leader: to prepare for the next generation.

But…his damned body was finally giving out.

Naruto, though, Naruto was strong. He would persevere even through Jiraiya's idiocy. He would become powerful.

The Hokage rolled up Jiraiya's note, hoped it wasn't a fabrication or evasion, and set it in the Out pile.

His mind moved on. His leg continued to twitch. His hope remained.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Two ninja, one young and one old, stood on a desolate shoreline miles from anything of interest. There wasn't even a beach to speak of.

"Okay, Bastard Teacher, tell me why we're not in Lightning Country? Don't we have a mission there… I saw what you wrote to the Hokage."

Jiraiya smiled a confident smile. "Oh, that, don't worry. You need a challenge, my young, ungrateful student. The kind of challenge not easily available in Lightning Country."

Naruto's lips pursed. It was going to be something annoying, wasn't it?

Jiraiya pretended not to notice his student's skeptical attitude. "On the next island over is the Village Hidden in the Mist. I would like you to go there and procure me…hmm, their sake is watery…umm, I don't use large swords as I don't need to compensate for anything…ahh yes, procure me some of their fine pornographic materials…."

"What!"

"Listen up," Jiraiya said. "You showed you could be big and flashy in Wave. You took down the Gato Corporation, but it was not very elegant. So…you are going to infiltrate a ninja village as my second lesson to you. Be subtle; be sneaky."

Naruto seemed to light up a bit at this description of his task…before he got suspicious again. "Is this a real lesson? Or am I doing this to help your 'research'?"

"Bit of both, really. You have until sundown."

Naruto began to grumble. But he also began to walk toward the largest island in the archipelago.

"I am doing something interesting," he muttered. "I am not going to think about how I'm doing it for the wrong reasons. Intention doesn't matter to a ninja…"

Jiraiya smiled and sat down. He was ready to begin drafting the next book in his series. He just had to review his notes and begin crafting the loving, sensual words.

For that, he needed uninterrupted time…Naruto-free time.

He could have left the kid back in Konoha, but he really wanted to train the moron a bit. The kid was already strong, stupidly strong with some of his wind techniques, but he was also green and unseasoned. He was still in the 'my jutsu is flashier than your jutsu' stage.

Jiraiya, if he did nothing other than beat that inclination out of Naruto's head, would consider this trip a success.

He put pen to paper and began the third chapter. He always started writing the sex scenes…and then went back and added in the filler…err, plot.

_The busty blonde Tsuno smiled at Master Hiraija. "Are you really a ninja, mister?"_

"You better believe it, little girl. I just pulled you from a burning building. Could an ordinary man do that?"

The busty blonde leaned over and whispered, "I have to thank you, then. Can you show me how not-ordinary you are?"

Master Hiraija began to take off his pants before he smiled and said, "Get ready for the best night of your life!"

Jiraiya smiled as he described clothes being shed and moaning and grunting and a lot of passionate exclamation.

_Tsuno rolled over and looked lovingly at Master Hiraija. "You know, my twin sister Tsunade will want to thank you for saving my life too."_

Master Hiraija couldn't contain his excitement. He stroked Tsuno's cheek and said, "If she's half as beautiful as you, I can die a happy man."

Master Hiraija felt Tsuno hand drift lower on his body. She was ready to thank him again…before introducing him to her sister. What a life. It was great to be a ninja.

This was his best form of stress relief – even better than taking a beautiful girl to bed. He liked bringing joy to others; he liked writing campy lines and corny scenarios and making it all work. It was about making happiness, about the very opposite of what he did as a professional ninja.

His coping mechanism was more pronounced than most…but also more effective. At least he didn't run about the village proclaiming himself 'youthful' at the pronounced age of fifty-seven.

The hours passed and the sunlight dwindled. When Jiraiya finally looked up from the last words of chapter thirty-one, he blinked for a good long while. His student had less than an hour to return.

How hard was busting into Hidden Mist? Jiraiya hoped his student hadn't done something foolish…like using a bunch of explosive tags and detonating a section of the village wall.

Jiraiya stood up and stretched. He had written about half the sex scenes, so one more day for that. Then maybe another day to write in the filler…err, plot. This one was a simple one. A ninja sleeping his way through the women who live in the local Lord's mansion, at the order of his Lord Commander, in order to find the traitor amongst them. Tsuno and Tsunade, the Lord's daughters, start off the long, long list. So many women, so many femme fatale, so little time. Dangerous and smutty at the same time. Twins, sisters, mother-daughter pairs, the lord's priestess and her virginal acolytes; an entire kitchen filled with beautiful, lusty scullery maids. The possibilities were endless.

But Jiraiya couldn't focus back on the story. He wondered if he was going to have to go rescue his student. That thought disappeared, finally, when Naruto appeared on the horizon with ten minutes of daylight left.

He wasn't running…or bleeding…so his infiltration must have been a success, right?

When the boy was a hundred meters from shore, the Toad Sage called out, "What took so long?"

"I went shopping!"

Jiraiya slapped his forehead. "I was beginning to worry, you idiot."

"What…you said I had until sundown. It's obvious you wanted me gone for the day. In fact, I know that for sure. I left a Shadow Clone behind to watch you. He dispelled about ten minutes ago, and I've got his memories of you writing and giggling all day long…."

Jiraiya began eyeballing his student more closely. "Why were you spying on me, Naruto?"

"Because I don't really trust you," Naruto said, with a quick laugh. "Who knew if you'd be here when I got back, eh? Or if you'd be off somewhere else like you were before…. So I put a leash on you, of a sort, my Shadow Clone disguised to look like a rock."

Jiraiya was aggravated at that…the admission of a lack of trust, along with the fact he hadn't noticed that he'd been spied upon all day long. He got too focused on his writing, perhaps….

"Well, knock it off. 'Ninja lesson 103: Never spy on your sensei. You might not like what you see.' Oh, yes, did you bring me my souvenir?"

Naruto's eyes frosted over a bit. "I got it, you sicko. I'll have you know that I was doing perfectly well in Hidden Mist until I went to buy this for you. That's when their internal police showed up and started asking me questions!"

"What?!" No government was so repressive as not to allow hot-blooded shinobi to purchase fine reading materials…. His publisher told him how well his Icha Icha series sold in Hidden Mist, too.

"Yup, made me look awfully suspicious. After all, I snuck in the front gate in a disguise. My disguise and my need for this…trash for you worked at cross purposes, eh?"

Jiraiya looked carefully at his student. "What kind of disguise? Every guy buys porn!"

Naruto smiled and then his body was covered in some smoke.

After the smoke cleared, Jiraiya pointed and shouted. "You're a genius!"

Naruto looked a bit cross. He wore the exact outfit he used to get inside the Hidden Mist. He had on a pink top and yellow pants…and he also had long blonde hair down past his shoulders…and a pair of rather large breasts.

"I got hit on by two of the policemen once I explained I was buying porn and a large sword for my 'boyfriend.' Are all ninja perverts?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya just giggled happily. Trying to figure out which scullery maid he should make to look like this illusion.

Naruto made another handsign and then there were three of his altered bodies standing there…unclothed. All of them were blonde, with their hair up in pig tails, with soft facial features – almost precisely like how Tsunade looked when she was sixteen.

"Oh, Jiraiya, our big strong ninja."

Blood gushed from Jiraiya's nose as all three spoke his name and teased various parts of their naked bodies for Jiraiya's…ahem, edification.

As soon as the Toad Hermit was knocked unconscious, Naruto dispelled his clones and released the illusion. His Pervert Capture Technique had caught another victim. It was pure good luck the Hokage liked to tell stories about his old students from time to time…especially about how Jiraiya used to be such an idiot about Tsunade. Rather than just storing away that information, Naruto had gone looking for pictures of Jiraiya's teammate. Hence, the perfect execution of a simple, devastating move.

Jiraiya awoke hours after sundown. Naruto had a small fire going and was roasting a rabbit. God damn. Jiraiya stretched and sighed. He was an S-rank ninja, for Kami's sake, asked four times to serve as Hokage! And he was knocked unconscious by a henge…of a particularly beautiful young girl.

Even now, in his anger, he couldn't help giggling.

"Come and eat," Naruto said. "Now that you're well enough to giggle."

"How long was I out?"

"Hours."

"Damn," Jiraiya muttered. "We're going to be late getting to Lightning Country…."

"I thought that mission didn't matter, huh?" Naruto said.

"Shinobi have to lie to themselves all the time. I lied to you about the mission so you'd go and do this training exercise, alright!"

"At least I got a good sword out of it…."

Jiraiya sat up and stared at his student. "Excuse me, since when are you interested in swordsmanship?"

"I'm not. Wind is much, much better. But…I had a nice date with a girl before all this 'Naruto is the last Namikaze' business started. She's still a friend and she loves sharp, pointy things…."

Jiraiya giggled. "All women love thick, long, jabby, throbbing things, my student. You'll learn…."

Naruto just barely restrained himself from attacking his teacher. "Stop saying perverted things! Why did I bother to come along on this trip?"

"Because I am the Toad Sannin and the best ninja you'll ever be able to train under!"

Naruto pulled off a piece of rabbit meat and popped it into his mouth. "This is done. Come over here and eat."

Jiraiya got to his feet slowly and walked stiffly over to the fire.

The pair was silent for a long time. "So…what did you do while I was indisposed?" Jiraiya asked.

"I crafted a genjutsu…."

"Really. I thought you didn't like to use illusions."

Naruto finished chewing a bit of his food. "I only intend to use it a single time…."

"Oh?"

"It's for you, Worthless Teacher. Next time you drag me to a bath house to peep on the women, I'm going to use it…."

"Ha! Ha Ha Ha. I'd like to see you capture me in an illusion, Naruto. You have about forty years too little experience to pull that off, I figure."

Naruto nodded. "Ordinarily I'd agree. But I've figured out your weakness…."

"What is it? That I'm too damned sexy for my own good? That women can't get enough of me? Huh? Tell me."

Naruto put down a bone and wiped his fingers on a piece of torn cloth. "You scream and whine and try to crawl away when a bunch of angry kunoichi begin attacking you outside the hot spring…but that's the part you really like. You're a strong enough ninja that not even a hundred angry, wet kunoichi could actually bring you down…so you allow yourself to be captured even though I'm pretty sure you can do a sealless replacement technique."

Jiraiya sat with his mouth hanging open. Such a conclusion was…preposterous. But…he did get beat up quite often, didn't he? And he did know how to replace himself with handseals. Was his unconscious mind allowing him to get beat up by naked, wet women…. Very kinky. If it was true, Jiraiya wasn't about to admit it to his student, although he might write a book about it.

"Naruto, stop psychoanalyzing people. It's creepy." Using his weakness for Tsunade against him…and his love of beautiful, wet kunoichi. Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Naruto just smiled.

Jiraiya couldn't contain his curiosity. "Alright, I'll bite. What does this genjutsu do?"

"It's very simple. One minute you're being assaulted by wet, toned women…and the next you're being assaulted by sweaty, hairy, fat men."

"NO!!!"

Naruto just nodded.

"That's torture, you know. Promise me you'll never actually do that to me."

Naruto had an even broader smile on his face. Illuminated as it was by the camp fire, it had a slightly demonic cast. "If I never see you attacked by mostly naked women, I'll never be able to use it. Let's make that our compromise."

Jiraiya picked at his food for a few moments. "You're rather vicious. Did anyone ever tell you that?"

"Make me more vicious, Worthless Teacher, and then I can be vicious toward that blue skinned ninja and the orange-masked ball of energy."

Jiraiya nodded. "Alright. I guess it's time I showed you how your father made his most feared assault technique…."

"The Spiraling Sphere you tempted me with a few weeks ago?"

Jiraiya nodded, a bit dejected at his student outwitting him with the description of a ridiculous, horrifying genjutsu. "You look like an idiot, but I guess there's nothing wrong with your memory. Ahem, so no more talk of genjutsu and we'll get down to a good old piece of elemental manipulation."

"I'm listening," Naruto said.

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Hyuuga Hinata shattered the training dummy. She stared at it for a moment as if she were angry with it.

"Like that, Michi?"

"I think you did something better than what I asked for, Hinata. It isn't Gentle Fist and it's not a med-nin's chakra scalpel, either. It's something else."

Hinata's friend Michi had spent the last few days showing her what little the clan still knew about the Gentle Fist technique. After all, the only ones not forced to leave with the Main and Branch houses had been civilians and young children. All the jutsu scrolls had gone with them.

"Shall I try again?"

Michi pointed toward another dummy. Hinata stalked up to it and tapped it. The wood shattered again.

Michi smiled. "It's not Gentle Fist for sure…why don't we see if you can work this Shatter Touch into a style, eh?"

Hinata nodded and smiled. She remembered clearly using the Gentle Fist to kill three of her captors. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to use that style again.

Not because she didn't have the will or the hate…but because Gentle Fist now reminded her only of sad, terrible things. Leaving captivity to save her baby…killing to save her baby…losing the baby anyway.

"Where was your academy tutor meeting you today, Hinata?"

"Umino-san told me to meet him in the Academy training ground."

"Very good," Michi said. "Tomorrow morning, right here, for more practice?"

Hinata smiled and nodded at Michi and then turned away from the training ground she had spent her early morning in. Most the remaining Hyuuga-ninja had been helping her to get better. People had been pouring hours of their time into getting Hinata into respectable shape.

It was hard going, very hard.

But every time she thought she needed to take a break an image haunted her mind.

She saw her son…she saw him in a lab, needles stuck into him, his cells being extracted so that Kumo scientists could breed more ninja. She saw her little boy, who she had never been able to hold or touch, crying in pain. Lonely, terrified, crying out for a mother he didn't know still existed.

She thought of all the horrible lies he was being told.

She thought he would be trained – somehow – to despise the Leaf. He would be twisted and distorted. He would be a weapon wielded against her newly adopted village – a weapon rather than a son.

Hinata walked faster toward the Academy.

She did not have that much time left. Her son didn't have that much time left.

Her child, her precious child.

When Umino Iruka went to the bar later that night, he swore his temporary student had never been so focused. It just reminded Iruka that his jonin exam was fast approaching. He upped his own training, too.

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The ghostly images rippled in the darkened cavern. The meeting was nearly over. Akatsuki was readjusting its plans.

The aged hunter Kakuzu had the floor. "We have not been able to replace Sasori with any of the candidates so far. All of them were proclaimed S-rank monsters…but all of them wound up failing my test. As a result I have a heavier wallet rather than a new member."

"Enough, Kakuzu. You're off recruitment detail. It was likely a mistake giving you this task, given your inclination toward greed. You probably had no intention of letting any of them pass, not when they all had multi-million ryou bounties. No," Pain said, "I have a new task for you. I will send you, and not Tobi, into Fire Country. You will enter this tournament…."

"Tobi wants to go!"

Pain shot a withering glare at Kisame's partner before making his image vanish from the meeting.

"I will…talk with Tobi later. Now, Kakuzu, do you understand your assignment?"

"Yes. I do not think it a worthwhile use of my time, not when there are many large bounties still to collect out there…."

"Enough," Pain said. "Hidan, you will work with Kisame until Tobi…returns to his normal lack of sense."

Pain gave his orders to the other members. Then, when his cavern was silent, as even Konan was away on a critical, if short, mission, an image flickered back into perspective.

Tobi, a seething, angry Tobi.

Pain held up his hand to silence his 'superior' in the Akatsuki. "Save it. I'm done listening to this. You know that Kakuzu will blend in better than you would. I know you're angry about this public tournament…but you've got to regain control of yourself."

"I will see the Leaf burn," a somber sounding 'Tobi' responded.

"Madara, I have no problem with that. All the Hidden Villages must be brought down in order for peace to take root. If you wish to destroy the Hidden Leaf first, fine by me…but we must accomplish our goals. We must gain all the bijuu…and it would be better if we could provoke a war through deceit than having to rely on frontal attacks and obvious ploys…."

"I will be part of the main attack force," 'Tobi' said.

"Yes. But, remember, our plan is to wait. We need this tournament to succeed at first. We need to draw as many high ranking observers, even Kages, to come watch. When we make our move…it's got to be truly devastating."

"So we take the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and raze the village at the same time. Using the bigger attack to hide the strategic objective. You might amount to something yet, 'Pain.'"

The 'leader' of the group said nothing, but canceled out Tobi's image.

This was a true problem. Madara was becoming more unstable as the weeks passed by…who knew what he might get up to given the right opportunity.

Pain would need to think on this. Perhaps Konan might have an idea.

A powerful, unstable ninja like Madara was unpredictable, beyond logical understanding. He needed another plan; a plan in case Madara finally shed what seemed to remain of his sanity.

What good would a god of pain be if he died before he had a chance to deliver his most important message? Pain understood Madara enough to know that he had no problem betraying his associates and family. Madara was loyal only to himself.

Yes, Pain would need to be ready to deal with this.

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Four Months Later – The Opening of the Tournament

The Hokage stood in a corridor of the Public Stadium waiting for the clock to strike eleven. It was a pleasure to stand here, calmly, and listen to the excitement in the crowd. This had been a long time in the making. (Of course, the only reason he was standing so calmly was because of the massive dose of muscle relaxers he'd taken a few hours earlier.)

For every person like the Raikage and the true Fire Daimyo who hated this tournament, there were five people who loved it. He was so happy to begin this process; he was tired of holding the massive burden of the Hidden Leaf on his shoulders.

At least Fire Country had a new Daimyo. That had reduced his stress.

The ANBU, Taro, who had played the Fire Daimyo for a few months had arranged for a fatal accident three weeks ago. The real Daimyo's body was put into the tableaux…and the newly designated heir – the smartest of a bunch of inbred morons – was now Daimyo. That man sat in the box above Sarutobi's…as if to symbolize how Leaf was but a portion of the Fire Country.

The benefit of handpicking the Daimyo's successor was that this new Daimyo supported the right of Konoha to select its supreme leader. It was a fairly bloody process to get that simple admission, but it was nice to have one less vocal opponent. Ninja politics often became fatal to the participants; too bad that the old Daimyo did not understand that.

The Hokage stepped into the main box and a cheer went up. Sarutobi surveyed this special arena – the one constructed to head off Orochimaru's invasion. It was filled with so much innocence and hope.

He hoped that the ANBU had accurately vetted all the participants. Sarutobi's spy council was presently observing the spectators.

If all went as planned – and if the barbarians at Konoha's gates restrained themselves for just a few more months – then this would be the beginning of a truly great period for the Hidden Leaf. Reputations would be earned outside of direct warfare; a successor could be found. Sarutobi could leave this earthly plane knowing he had done his duty. He had finally found and groomed a successor…hardened him through this tournament…and left the village a stronger place than when he found it.

The enemies who had infiltrated this stadium would witness the power and might of the Hidden Leaf; they would be terrified into inaction if all went to plan. While they might conspire against an 'old man' who hadn't seen war in fifteen years…they'd be a bit hesitant to test someone who passed through this gauntlet.

"Good morning, citizens and shinobi. Today we open the tournament that will enable us to pick our next leader.

"Let me tell you how angry many of our neighbors are at the openness we are showing today. More than one of my fellow Kages threatened dire consequences if I actually permit my own citizens to select their next leader.

"There is a reason we in the Leaf are strong…and the other Hidden Villages struggle. In today's contest and the next five events, you will see strength, power, tenacity, the pure Will of Fire…but also wisdom and many other qualities necessary to be the Fire Shadow.

"Let me introduce you to your pool of nominees."

With that, doors at the side of the arena opened and two streams of people walked onto the floor.

Sarutobi looked over them closely. His grandson, the blockhead, was down there. Sarutobi had spent weeks trying to convince the boy not to participate. He had never forbade him…but it had almost come to it. The Hokage just hoped his grandson survived what could turn into a very rough event.

He saw Naruto and several other rather young chuunin and genin. There were a few jounin…but not as many highly experienced jounin as Sarutobi had hoped. Of the ones Sarutobi expected only Maito Gai was present. Kakashi, the lazy bum, had requested to serve guard duty…rather than get talked into competing.

Jiraiya would be the referee. Tsunade was present in the stands, but she had a glare fixed on her face.

The two most powerful ninja Konoha still had alive…refused to show their mettle. Sarutobi had been all too correct about his students.

Power without the will to use it well, like a half finished bridge. So much potential, so much danger of collapse, an unfinished work of art.

Sarutobi took a moment while the crowd kept murmuring. He eyed the people he knew shouldn't be here.

There was that unknown Uchiha who had been stalking Tsunade and the remaining Uchiha in the village…and the ever predictable plants from Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone…and a few known contract assassins…along with a couple of contenders that the ANBU couldn't place at all.

The crowd quieted when Sarutobi raised his arms above his head. Then the Hokage stared down at the hundred twenty contenders.

"The first test challenges your wisdom." Sarutobi nodded at Jiraiya. The Toad Sannin pushed a spike of chakra into a sealing array near where he was standing on the arena floor. For a few moments, something seemed to shine or glow in the light a foot from every side of the arena.

"This barrier will keep the test interesting. Contenders, scattered amongst you are known assassins and saboteurs from other villages. They are here to damage the tournament or try to win the position of Fire Shadow for their home countries. To force our power into a subservient position to lesser villages!"

That got a few sparks of anger from the arena floor. Such young souls. So easy to weed out. The better ninja would be harder to suss out, unfortunately.

"Your test is to determine who they are. Each of you will briefly introduce yourself and then observe the other contenders. You have one hour to prepare your list. At the end, my student Jiraiya will collect your lists and expose the imposters. By the way, the shield we erected prevents the external use of any chakra until I disrupt the sealing array from the outside. All assassins and saboteurs will get a chance to…visit with the ANBU.

"Only those contenders who identify at least half of the infiltrators will pass this test. The other caveat is that anyone who tries to label a true citizen of Konoha as a saboteur will fail the test. It is better to be cautious than reckless. You have very little information and only your own senses and minds to rely upon. Can you think your way to victory? Can you find more than half of the infiltrators while handing in no false positives?

"This is my test of wisdom. It's but a mere shadow of the wisdom the Fire Shadow must exercise every day. But, if you cannot pass this test, then you are not meant to be Fire Shadow. Your knowledge has not yet been tempered with enough experience and failure and struggle."

Sarutobi pointed at the smallest person there…the youngest person there…the most deluded person there. "Starting on the end, introduce yourself."

"I am Sarutobi Konohamaru, future Hokage!"

The Hokage kept himself from wincing. This boy was not doing the Sarutobi clan proud right now.

It took twenty minutes for all the introductions, most of them more informative than Konohamaru's.

"That is all the information you get," the Hokage said. "Let the hour of judgment begin."

That was when the crowd groaned. They had expected a battle or something interesting. Not watching a bunch of people attempt to think….

Sarutobi did not care. He knew things would get interesting soon enough. That much stress, some on people trying to puzzle out a list: to remember who said what…to look at how people carry themselves…to remember who they had seen in or near the village before…to prove their wisdom, their precision and accuracy in thinking through a problem.

The fun would come from those people trying not to be detected and captured. How would they escape? How would they attempt to escape? How would Jiraiya handle so many at once…without the benefit of toads or ninjutsu? It was a glorious amount of chaos ready to explode.

The spies from other villages hunkered down to watch the excitement below.

The spy hunters from the Hidden Leaf watched the spies.

Tsunade glared at everyone and everything.

Sarutobi sat and watched the contenders. Who was worthy? How would they prove it?

His quietest thought was: what am I to do with Naruto?

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kakuzu knelt in the dirt on the arena floor. He had already tested to see if his strings would work…but the sealing array did as promised. No chakra. He wondered if his hearts would be able to save his life if he were discovered and wounded.

He looked around the crowd and did his best to pretend to be evaluating everyone else. In truth, he recognized about twenty people who were from other villages…mainly because he could match their somewhat disguised faces to the images in his Bingo Book.

He stared at his paper and began to write a few names.

Then he looked up toward where the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was standing. It was rather unnerving when said jinchuuriki was staring back at Kakuzu. Kakuzu flinched and looked away to remain in character.

But he felt the Kyuubi continue to look at him, appraise him. It was unnerving to be somewhat without his usual tools in hostile territory. Still, his taijutsu was highly refined…and everyone else here, including the Toad Sage, were at the mercy of the chakra limiters, too.

He turned his head and considered the other half of the contenders. The Hokage's grandson. A useful bargaining chip if it came down to it.

The old man might seem like hard, resolute steel…but the genuine threat of a decapitated grandson. Even the hardest sane man would crumble to that.

Kakuzu returned to his paper and wrote down the names of a few people he'd like to kill. Ha-te from Grass had a twenty million ryou bounty on his head. Kyushou Tatame from Hidden Stone had thirty million. The independent assassin known only as Cream had a total bounty of fifty million ryou.

His eyes strayed away from the infiltrators toward genuine Leaf ninja. Then there was Maito Gai…he had several bounties for a lackluster total of eighteen million. Jiraiya of the Sannin, their 'proctor,' that was the prize in this group…he had several hundred bounties to his name, many from non-ninja families with young, once innocent daughters. One hundred forty million ryou. The 'last' Namikaze: no posted bounty, but pricesless nonetheless.

Kakuzu smiled as he thought of the only thing worth loving. Money was ever dependable and never let one down.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Uchiha Madara sat in the stands watching the ridiculous Will of Fire Tournament with a blank face. He kept his chakra taut inside him. Nothing leeked out; nothing gave away his presence.

He couldn't wear his orange mask in a place like this. So he had applied makeup. Half his face was horribly disfigured. He had most of an entire row to himself as no one voluntarily chose to sit next to a leprous monster as Madara now appeared to be.

He sat and he stared. He kept his anger focused. He resolved, as he stared with loathing at Sarutobi Hiruzen, that he would kill the winner of each round. He swore it. No one would be Hokage while he lived; there would never be a Godaime for this miserable place.

He had already let this place live too long. The Hidden Leaf should have fallen decades ago.

The countdown was in its final moments. Decades had passed, now only months remained. He would stand on Sarutobi's bloody corpse while he watched this village burn with the passion of Amaterasu.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Nii Yugito had her target in view. She did not have authorization to collect the target this day…rather she needed to get a sense of the girl's habits and patterns.

That idiot girl, Hinata, had no idea she was being observed…that she was being stalked…that she would either be captured and returned to the Hidden Cloud or struck down. It depended upon the mercy of the Raikage.

Yugito would gladly take care of the girl. Her escape was a blight on the history of her great village.

Yugito stared and smiled and enjoyed herself.

She never felt the eyes watching her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Will of Fire, Heart of Stone**

_Chapter 7_

A/N: It's been a long time since since I put up chapter six for this story. You might want to re-read the earlier sections in order to familiarize yourself with this story. (It bears passing resemblance to canon.) Enjoy!

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Twenty minutes of the hour-long test passed in quiet contemplation. Tense. None of the people on the floor of the arena were saying anything, making any noise. (Well, save for Konohamaru.)

Naruto had looked everyone over. He had seven names on his list. Names of people on the floor of the stadium who were infiltrators into the test of wisdom. People from other villages trying to sneak into a test to determine who the next Hokage would be. Brazen and dangerous people.

"Naruto..." Konohamaru whined.

A glare from Namikaze Naruto shut the young ninja-in-training up. One didn't have time to talk in a test like this one. Something would happen. There were dangerous people in this space. Put danger together with a time limit...and the violence would come naturally.

Danger and violence that Konohamaru had put himself in the middle of, the petulant child.

Naruto had moved around and taken a seat closer to Konohamaru. The boy seemed to quiver in fear one moment before bursting into energy, almost as if he might challenge Maito Gai to a slugfest. Stress made the kid manic, it seemed. Chattering about who was from the different villages before looking fearfully at all of them, as if he knew and then didn't know where he was, how much danger he'd chosen to put himself into, like dunking a strip of marinated chicken or a piece of vegetable into a pot of very hot oil.

This arena the pot of very hot oil. The young ninja-in-training the defenseless nibble. He wasn't even an E-rank threat to a bunch of A-rank monsters.

Naruto looked around the assembled men one more time. Most had retired to the outer perimeter of the floor, to be as far away from anyone else as possible. Leaving ninja out in the open like this test did added another kind of mental stress. These people expected to work from alleys and shadows. Putting them on display had to make some of them angry. Nervous. Twitchy.

"What about him?" Konohamaru asked, pointing at a person Naruto was sure was an infiltrator.

"Quiet."

"I think he's one."

Konohamaru wanted to talk. He couldn't sit still, couldn't abide silence. Why had Naruto made himself a babysitter again? This kid was a pain...

"Why him?" Naruto asked.

...but the kid was special to Sarutobi-sensei. A piece of shit, but one beloved on Naruto's best sensei.

"I've never seen him in the village before."

"Well, it's a guess. Take it." Naruto hoped the Hokage's grandson did fail this first test. He didn't want an Academy student in this kind of danger again. There were five more tests to go.

They would just get harder. There was no guarantee of fighting in this one, although Naruto was sure enough violence was coming. There were infiltrators in the test, ones who were promised torture sessions. What kind of infiltrator would sit and take a session with some ANBU sadist?

Naruto looked at the field of contenders against. Almost evenly spread against the outer arena wall.

His eyes hung on a man almost opposite. Naruto decided the long-haired man staring back at Naruto had to be a spy of some sort, too. What was the name he gave? Naruto had let that piece of information slip out of a his mind. The man glared back at Naruto, too. As if he knew Naruto.

Yes, this man wasn't part of the village. Not that Naruto could do anything about it but try to remember the bullshit name the man had given. Dealing with him would fall to the ANBU after the test ended and the infiltrators were exposed.

It was hard to do nothing. In fact, doing nothing was worse than being in a fight, Naruto decided. This test was damned hard as a result. Sitting and thinking, sweating in full view of everyone who chose to attend. Since the prize for attending all six of the tests was a vote in the next Hokage election, most if not all of the village was in the stands.

In truth, Naruto was tense and he was bored, a horrific combination. He couldn't relax because he was in such close proximity to people who could and would resort to violence if it profited them. He also wouldn't allow himself to pick the initiating fight in view of this many people. He didn't want to be publicly known as a warmonger or a fool.

He knew he was missing something about this test. He couldn't see what he was learning or proving about his wisdom. He knew Sarutobi-sensei meant to measure something in these people at the same time that he taught them something. Sarutobi was nothing if not efficient in his methods; test and stretch and challenge and give the slightest nod of the head as praise. Force the student forward, make him struggle under his own drive, his own desire.

Naruto wanted to take these tests because he wanted to succeed the man who had done more than anyone else to train Naruto. He wanted to be the Godaime Hokage. He was young, but he could see that Sarutobi-sensei was aging fast, weakening. Even in the months since he announced this tournament...he had gone from a powerful ninja to a grandfather, an old man who grows quieter and quieter until he's quiet forever more.

The Hokage was dying, Naruto understood. But how many of these others knew that? How many had twice weekly trainings with Sarutobi and the Monkey Clan? The Hokage rarely stood. He sat all the time now. He said he trusted that Enma would batter around Naruto just fine, he didn't need to stand up and help.

It was a line. There were times, growing longer and longer, when the Hokage couldn't stand at all, Naruto thought. Konohamaru would be devastated when the end came.

Naruto wouldn't admit it, but he would feel the pain just as heavy.

Naruto looked into the stands, wondered what the observers thought. The Hokage and the ninja were looking for certain things, but what about the civilians?

People who lived around ninja but didn't understand them. Sold them food or clothes, but didn't understand what they did. Was this test tense for them? Was it boring? What were they expected to learn from this event? How were they supposed to begin filtering candidates for Hokage by watching them think for an hour...

Unless...

Of course.

The test wouldn't end when a bell rung, when the stated time passed.

This was part of the wisdom of this test. Putting dangerous men under pressure would force violence to the surface.

This test would end in battle. The test was letting the pressure build. The test wasn't letting the spies and infiltrators escape. All of them, however many there were, were trying to work out how to escape.

The stated purpose of the test had nothing to do with the real test. It wasn't to identify the infiltrators. It was to stop them from leaving before or even after the test ended.

It was a test of wisdom that would require the precise application of violence. It wasn't sparring friend against friend. It was a war contained in a glass bottle for thousand to watch and judge. Even civilians would be wowed and stunned by what would have to happen.

Sarutobi-sensei had dangled bait, an open election for the Hokage. That must have drawn the other villages in...must have put into this arena the equivalent of live tigers thrown in with the genuine candidates. Were there A-rank ninja in here? Perhaps an S-ranker? How many villages tried? How many other organizations, bands of criminals and the like. Was there a blue-skinned ninja here under a henge?

If so, perhaps Maito Gai, of Konoha, would handle him. Naruto couldn't do it...not without showing off things he refused to show.

Jiraiya, holding up the sealing array that kept everything contained on the floor of the arena, was an S-ranker but he'd be busy. Tsunade as well.

Then there the Hokage. Once the strongest of any of the Kages.

He couldn't be counted on in war from now on. Naruto understood that. That was why his own training had picked up the pace. Why he had advanced so rapidly up to sparring with Enma, the Monkey King, one of the summons who could contend with the monstrous giants summoned by Jiraiya even if they were a tenth the size.

The Monkey King was said to have sparred and beaten the First Hokage back in the day.

Naruto, of course, found his sparring partner well beyond challenging. But he recognized exactly what was at stake.

There were A-rank enemies here. They wouldn't let themselves be dragged to cells. They would fight.

Naruto found his fingers flexing.

He found himself about to start out on his unusual set of chakra control exercises. He had to force himself to stop. He knew the arena was sealed with fuinjutsu.

He'd seen others doing surreptitious tests of the sealing that the Pervy Sage had set up.

Still, even though he told himself not to do his chakra control exercises, he found himself lifting off the dirt floor of the stadium. He had to consciously stop himself...from...using his chakra.

Wasn't that supposed to be impossibe?

Naruto tried a little jutsu, a replacement of himself with Konohamaru. It fizzled. In fact, Naruto could feel...the chakra bleed away. Drained. He could feel the seals at work. He wished he understood them. That would be a hellacious technique to understand.

"Konohamaru, you stick with me?" Naruto whispered.

"What?"

"When the fight breaks out, you are stuck to me."

"No, if there's a fight..."

Naruto clamped a hand over the boy's mouth. It had been a mistake to warn him. Naruto should have let the fight begin and then just tied Konohamaru up, kept him safe.

"Quiet."

He stared at the younger boy.

"You going to be quiet?"

The young Sarutobi nodded.

Naruto released his hand.

Konohamaru pouted.

That was fine. It was quiet, at least. Naruto tried one of his chakra control exercises, one that went straight toward his control over wind. Naruto found himself floating over the dirt again.

What...was up with that?

The Pervy Sage was a powerful ninja. There was nothing wrong with his sealing efforts...unless he hadn't included elemental chakra into his design. Could that be it?

The man knew what he was about...so long as no beautiful women were involved...but this was the first time he'd ever proctored anything like this. Jiraiya had left a fatal flaw in his sealing array.

Naruto formed up a wind blade on his finger. He let it go and it cut a tiny line in the ground, not big enough for anyone to notice.

Naruto had to work to keep a smile off his face.

He felt a lot better about this test, and the likely way it would devolve, now that he'd stumbled on a way to cheat, if needed. Hell, if he could make wind chakra still work, he could simulate a gust of wind, rip a few sheets of paper from the other competitors, maybe start a fight or two on his own timetable.

For as much as some ninja spoke on honor, the one rule that Enma never let Naruto forget during their spars: ninjas cheat. Enma was a dirtier fighter than anyone Naruto had ever seen before. Lying in a fight was a hard thing for Naruto to learn. He guessed he was just an open person, more so when his mind was occupied. When the fighting was most furious Naruto would have to spend a moment to think of how to cheat...it wasn't an easy thing for him to master. Likewise, he wouldn't make a good spy where one cheated and lied constantly.

Naruto craned his neck. He could see the bubble of the sealing Jiraiya had done rise up over the floor of the arena. It almost shimmered in the sun there was so much power behind it. Naruto wondered if the sealing array would preclude taijutsu specialists from hardening their attacks with chakra. Was that included in what Jiraiya was able to prohibit on the floor?

Naruto wished he knew.

He sat and waited. He looked at everyone also sitting and waiting. He looked in the wrong direction for long enough that he missed the start of the fight. In fact, he knew it had broken out only when he saw a piece of masonry that was larger than Naruto's new apartment flying through the air. Toward where civilians were sitting mixed with just a few observing ninja.

The long haired ninja who'd stared at Naruto was laughing. He'd pulled the masonry from the arena. It answered Naruto's question about whether taijutsu and other body uses of chakra were still possible. They were. Only ninjutsu and perhaps genjutsu were proscribed.

Naruto took a quarter-second to consider what ninjutsu he could perform that would help. Several of the wind techniques he knew...he could try. But he'd never attempted to hone in on something that big, something that was flying through the air.

Movement out of the corner of Naruto's eyes stopped him from attempting something. Naruto saw Jiraiya leap from his perch manning the seal array, collide with the massive stone edifice, and send it on a new course far outside the arena.

Naruto didn't think he could do something like that. Enma could, but Naruto hadn't learned to harden his body that much yet. It was something new to add to his goals.

Naruto watched the hunk of masonry fly. He also felt the seal fail.

The attack, aimed toward civilians, had been a diversion.

The masonry hit nothing, but it accomplished its mission. The seal was a high-maintenance kind and it began to fail immediately. Little battles, more diversion work, broke out on the floor. The infiltrators had been waiting for an opportunity and they wasted little time pressing for an advantage. This was the real point of this test of wisdom. To be ready when crisis came. How would one respond? What would one do?

True Leaf ninja were trying to keep them occupied.

Jiraiya was back at his station. Trying to get the sealing array back into service. And failing to do his work fast enough.

Ninjutsu began to rain around the inside of the stadium. Ninja in the stands began escorting the civilians out. It was a dozen kinds of chaos.

Naruto grabbed Konohamaru by the collar when he made to get into the fray.

Naruto would enjoy the battle, but not at the cost of letting this Academy student become unprotected.

"Let me go," the young almost-ninja screamed.

Naruto wished he had a dozen eyes to keep up with the fights that were breaking out. So far no one who hadn't entered the first test had descended onto the floor. The seal went back up. Elemental ninjutsu continued.

"Shut up," Naruto hissed. He needed to keep the brat safe. He needed to be ready to defend when or if the battle came to him.

Naruto couldn't see his temporary sensei, but he guessed that Jiraiya understood the magnitude of the mistake he'd made. The safe space wasn't all that safe. People could and would die in this test.

"I want to fight," the young man shouted.

Naruto didn't. He wanted to survive. He wanted to make sure that the infiltrators didn't.

That was different from surviving.

That was the essence of winning.

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The infiltrators in the stands didn't let the opportunity pass them by either. People who worked for Cloud or Stone left as scared civilians and made for their secondary targets, to make it into the village proper, if possible, and infiltrate various buildings, perhaps the village library or the Hokage Tower or the secure floors of the hospital.

The people on the arena floor had created the necessary diversions.

No one expected a spy to become Hokage. But they did expect an opportunity to cause some propblems.

One infiltrator, a strong female ninja, from Cloud took a moment to decide. She didn't have orders to return the breeding Hyuuga to the Raikage's control. But she had the opportunity to do so.

Yugito made her way out when the ninja asked her to come with them. She moved how a civilian moved, at least to the best of her ability. Not so fast, scared, colliding, slowing. She lost her escorts more than once. Slowing down. Getting her slowed in the onrushing stream of people.

She looked at the confusion.

She eyed the structure. It's collection of hallways and tunnels. It's profusion of stairs and little bottlenecks. She worked out how she could make the grab.

It was possible.

Was it the right thing to do?

The young girl had killed the Raikage's ninja in her escape. She had more children to birth for the glory of the Raikage's term of office.

Yugito took another survey. She could do this.

She would do it.

She had a Hyuuga to collect.

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"I am staying," the Hokage said when his ANBU tried to remove him from the stadium.

"Sir..."

Sarutobi shook his head.

In truth, the way his legs were acting now, he didn't think he could leave unless he were carried from his box. He wouldn't let that happen. Couldn't let the illusion of his continuing strength fall.

He would sit and watch and hope his grand plan wouldn't kill too many as it burned down around him.

Sarutobi now knew there was at least one S-rank ninja on the floor of the arena. It wasn't a face he recognized at this time. But that feat of strength...and everything else Sarutobi had seen after told him what the truth was.

Tsunade, even if she were cooperating, would have a tough time with a ninja like that one.

Sarutobi sat and watched.

One young man, identified in the Tower report as a farmer or laborer, was fighting like an experienced ninja. But he was fighting on the side of Konoha for now. Sarutobi watched because that was all he could do...

Red. Red in his eyes.

That young man had Sharingan eyes.

Sarutobi had thought they knew all the ones who remained behind, a handful of civilians. He'd thought all the ones who abandoned the village had been killed. Hadn't that been the report? Orochimaru a decade earlier had killed them all?

One he'd missed. One who'd unlocked his eyes. One who had come back to Konoha. But not identified himself as part of the devastated clan. Not made contact.

If he survived, Sarutobi needed to talk with that man. To find out why he had come, why he had come under a false identity. To find out if there were other survivors.

"Him."

Sarutobi pointed out the Uchiha.

"Sir?" The ANBU was asking if the man was to be killed.

In his surprise Sarutobi hadn't been very clear at all. "I want him to survive. I would like to speak with him after this is all over."

"Yes, sir."

He sat and watched because he couldn't do anything else. His hope of developing a new legend might still happen even if there were no one but him to see it happen. But he knew the rest of the five tests, the rest of his plan, was all ended.

He'd been mistaken in the design of this test.

He'd been mistaken in his choice of proctor.

It had the potential to be one of the biggest mistakes he'd made in decades.

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There were very few who remained unevacuated in the arena, Jiraiya, the Hokage, some ANBU. There was only one who remained in the standard seating unobserved by even the best trained of the ninja, his eyes turning over everything. His face now covered with darkened glasses so that the red wheels in his eyes, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, wouldn't be detected too soon. If his cloaking jutsu failed for a moment.

He directed his thrall, Kakuzu, to engage directly with the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. He had agreed not to enter the competition himself, but when Kakuzu was told to enter, Madara had made up his mind. He had a dozen different ways to imprint his will on another, even a very strong ninja. But there wasn't anyone, not even Kakuzu, who was able to resist the Sharingan commands of a true Sharingan master.

Uchiha Madara wanted better information than he'd gotten when he and Kisame attempted to capture the young ninja. Slippery little shit. He also wanted to have some fun, cause some destruction, blow some shit to sand.

Madara wanted to see just what the young thief could do with the Kyuubi stuffed inside him.

He would have to exercise a tiny amount of care not to fatally wound the Kyuubi. Waiting for the Kyuubi to reform, not on his agenda. He was immortal, but his patience had its limits of course.

Test but not kill.

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Some idiot lobbed a fireball toward Naruto's side of the stadium. Naruto grabbed Konohamaru and jumped into the air. The brat was fighting him. When Naruto landed, there was a fist coming for his face.

In all the practice Naruto had done with Sarutobi-sensei or the Hokage's monkey summons, Naruto had never been forced to protect a person while defending himself. It took him almost too long to work out how to make his body move in the right ways to keep two people protected.

The fist missed Naruto by less than an inch.

Naruto jumped and got himself away while the hulking man barreled after him.

Naruto saw...red in the man's eyes. Not a red pupil or red irises. But the imprint of red floating in the eye, moving.

It was bizarre and unnerving.

The man fought as if he didn't care if he was hit. He fought like he didn't care about his own life. Naruto punched him with his wind claws fully extended. There were horrific gashes in the man's face and neck.

Black...strings from both sides of the wound seemed to emerge and knit the damage back together.

The man stopped in the center of the arena and let Naruto escape with Konohamaru. He pulled off his black cloak. He reached for...disks resting on his back. As if they were weapons.

Naruto picked up a kunai thrown in someone else's battle and knocked the struggling Konohamaru unconscious. He'd apologize later.

A man this dangerous couldn't be allowed his stronger weapons. He took damage that repaired itself. No, this man couldn't up the fight.

Naruto decided on the 'forest killer' he'd been working on while following Jiraiya around before all this tournament business. The dirt and concrete floor of the arena shredded all the way to the man with the red etchings in his eyes.

The dust took a moment to clear.

The floor in front of the man was destroyed. Behind him, too.

The man was a mess, no part larger than a foot.

Still, a ball of the black strings emerged from his body and knitted him back together.

Naruto hadn't seen much on the offensive side from this ninja. But he had his personal defense rock solid. No bothering to dodge. Take the hit, enough to kill a normal ninja, and let his body repair itself.

What was he? What was this skill? What would Naruto do if he couldn't just rip the man to tiny pieces, if he kept reforming himself, reshaping?

How did Naruto kill something that wouldn't stay killed?

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Yugito found her target, the little Hyuuga, weak and meek, being escorted from the arena. A few dozen people behind Yugito. It took her little effort to slow her own forward pace, let her target get in front of her.

The Cloud infiltrator killed the girl's guard or escort with barely the movement of her wrist. The man was barely a chuunin, if that, and would never rise any further.

"You are returning with me."

The Hyuuga turned, saw the dead ninja at her feet, and let the full loathing of her circumstances play across her face. Hatred.

The killer of ninja.

Emotion of most kinds was fatal to a ninja. Anger or fear or hatred was where mistakes were birthed in the mind. Yugito knew that lesson very well.

"Your son is a good friend of mine. We have good times. We play little games. He has a very good life, you know."

Hyuuga Hinata lost her composure completely. Her hands lashed out. Yugito found the muscles of her shoulder unresponsive. Damaged or destroyed. With just a touch.

The reports on the dead from the facility where the Hyuuga was kept were all too correct. This girl could kill with a touch.

Yugito smiled. What a fun way to spend an afternoon. Pity she was in enemy territory. Pity someone might be along to save the girl in moments. This would have to be fast and fun.

"Ready to go back, little Hyuuga?"

"No." Not tears, but rage. Not resignation, but determination.

"You don't have a choice."

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The Hokage sat, watching. His eyes widened and he paged rapidly through his memory of history, of ancient history, the kind of stories passed to him by Hashirama and Tobirama, his most important teachers.

The black strings he saw coming out of that ninja on the arena floor. He had heard of that before... Now where...

"That man is dead," Sarutobi said to himself.

"Sir?" An ANBU inquired. Trying to determine if it was an order he should execute. Or attempt to execute. Even the ANBU seemed to realize this was a different magnitude of battle starting.

"Stay out of it for now."

"Who is he?"

"A man who tried to assassinate the First Hokage. Kakuzu of Waterfall. He'd be ninety now?"

"Sir."

"I know he doesn't look it."

Sarutobi hoped Naruto wouldn't hold out too long. The boy was a bit cagey about showing what he could do. This was not the time for reserve.

This was a whole other kind of S-ranker he was fighting with. A ninja who looked thirty or forty when he was ninety. There would be some kind of kinjutsu involved, something horrifying.

Sarutobi could only hope Naruto would drag out his own A- and S-rank responses. The boy had two or three techniques which were in that range. He needed to use them now. Right now...

Sarutobi watched what happened. He had a dozen different lines of guesses running – what technique next, what response after that, how much danger, how much damage to the people in the arena, including his grandson. How much to bleed out beyond the arena...and this buffer zone outside the village proper.

"Help Jiraiya strengthen the barrier. Put all our people onto it."

The battle had become serious. Deadly. Maito Gai had taken down at least three people. The unknown Uchiha had killed four. Both were now disabled by their wounds. But Kakuzu and Naruto were still up, still mobile, still deadly. Konohamaru, his grandson, was unconscious but still in the line of fire, still bogging Naruto down.

The young boy had no damned sense.

"Masks..."

Sarutobi thought he had read something about masks...those shapes on that ninja's back. What was about to cause considerable damage. The true village was miles away, but Sarutobi still feared that whatever happened might just stretch that far.

This was now a battle between an S-ranker and a mere child who would have to become an S-ranker within seconds if he had any hope of survival.

In this battle of attrition, Naruto was still going.

He was Sarutobi's finest student.

He decided just then.

Naruto was young but he was the best choice for a strong Konoha in the future. The only choice.

Sarutobi found his arm numb in addition to his legs. He hoped he'd survive this match. He hoped he'd be able to have one last conversation with Naruto. His chosen successor. There was much work to do if he were going to ensure Naruto would become Hokage. Fifth Hokage or Sixth Hokage, one or the other.

"Naruto, fully commit," Sarutobi commanded in a whisper. There was no chance Naruto could hear the words. But Sarutobi hoped his finest student would obey them anyway.

The boy had to survive.

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This incoming fireball wasn't the same as the others. It wasn't a ball. It was a stream that didn't seem to end, to have any possibility of an end.

There was no mud wall, no water shield that could do anything to it. If it touched Naruto he was dead. Even from forty meters he could feel the excessive heat trying to worm its way inside his tissues, trying to roast him before it incinerated him.

He didn't know...

No, it wasn't time for what he didn't know. There was...the air. He knew that, perhaps better than anyone else.

It obeyed him.

It wanted to dance for him at all times, to entertain him and help him. The air wanted Naruto to own it.

Naruto glanced at the unconscious Konohamaru. His hands began making handseals, every third one a nonsense seal. He did it to confuse the veteran ninja opposing him, the infiltrator who was stronger than anyone else on the arena floor.

All of a sudden the stream of melting-strength, not burning strength, fire veered to the left, veered up, veered in a loop. Accelerating. Speeding faster than it should have moved. It had been caught in air that Naruto could command. Air that wanted Naruto to command it.

The loop of fire closed on its maker. It landed and incinerated what it touched.

Naruto stared at the glassified sand. He stared at the destroyed cinders. He stared at the horrible death he'd just inflicted.

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Madara stared, too. There was something very special about this jinchuuriki. He didn't know what it was yet, but he would.

Yes, there was more to do.

His puppet inside the arena looked broken, less than cinders, but he wasn't.

His control of Kakuzu hadn't ended. The ninja should be dead after eating that kind of attack. But he wasn't.

Madara pushed. He pushed hard. The Earth Fear Grudge technique began its horrible work all over.

He could see threads erupt from the hunks of ash. He could see the body knitting back together. He could see ash flaking off and revealing fresh skin underneath. He could see a rejuvenation technique better than anyone else had ever completed, better even than what the grandniece of his great enemies had produced.

Senju Tsunade and her little diamond seal.

She would need to die as well.

But first this Uzumaki Naruto.

Then the Third Hokage.

This entire misbegotten place.

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Naruto hadn't waited while the body reformed itself. He had been lobbing attacks that barely slowed the reforming of the 'dead' man's body.

"That cost me a heart, boy."

Naruto had no idea what the dead-sounding words meant. Other than the ninja was surprised. He mentioned 'a heart,' not 'my heart,' suggesting he had more than one.

One of these ninja with a special trick. Like Jiraiya and his toads. Like ninja with an ultimate defense.

His mind hardened.

He had something else he could try. Something he had sworn to himself he could never use on another person.

Not ever.

Naruto was running around the arena, dodging the wounded and the dead. He was trying to buy himself time even as he carried Konohamaru with him.

The air around Kakuzu, around a few of the other fallen infiltrators, began to thin. The air molecules spreading farther apart, not of their volition but of Naruto's.

He was about to use the Wrath of God on a human being – a dead one, in Naruto's mind, someone he had already killed save for some kind of ninja-cheat.

The air around the ash-ninja thinned further. Then it became an imperfect vacuum. Then the seal was complete. The lightly held cinders of a body began to dissolve under the pressure.

The ash-ninja's body reformed and the vacuum effect kept destroying the seeming-solid flesh. With tiny pockets of air trapped in the not-wholly incinerated cells and in what remained of the blood. The air pressure differential causing what had once been a couple billion tiny pockets of air to become much larger. Each pocket larger than the cell in which it was supposed to reside.

Blowing up this dead ninja-cheat. Blowing him up before the affected area reformed somehow. He was dead, at a cellular level, but the strings fought on. He kept moving.

He was an ash-ninja, a dead-ninja, a zombie ninja. Something not inside himself was commanding him forward.

His head disintegrated again and reformed. His neck, his throat, his chest, all fluctuating between solidity and an ephemeral state.

It was the worst thing Naruto had ever seen.

He was dead and his body or his controller wouldn't accept that.

Naruto lobbed a hundred wind swords.

They fizzled at the border of the Wrath of God technique. Not even Naruto could penetrate his own most-deadly attack.

He needed something else to help along the vacuum. As if that weren't enough.

As if it wouldn't kill anyone else it was ever used on.

He was stuck. The zombie shambled forward. Naruto could outrun it for hours, but he didn't know how to stop it. There was always some bit of the core for the disintegrating parts to reform around. Naruto could keep the Wrath of God in motion with the ash-ninja, but he would keep reforming himself.

The man was dead and it wasn't enough.

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Yugito removed her lightning encased hand from the throat of a dead ninja. Yugito was skilled at many of the ninja arts, but she excelled in killing. Now she was being called on to capture. She could enjoy death of those who came to interfere.

"He couldn't help you, either."

The dead Leaf ninja slumped to the concrete. There were now four dead ninja surrounding the two young women. One at least had been a jounin.

Yugito had them in one of the lesser used corridors inside the arena, a virtual city of concrete to move people to and from their seats. Now that the place was evacuated she had more time to do thing right.

She pulled a kunai and went after the Hyuuga again.

She realized the girl couldn't do anything with her fancy finger tapping if there was metal in the way. So she used what she had. It was refreshing, a battle done on a new scale with restrictions she didn't often have.

She felt free to injure the Hyuuga on the arms or the legs. But she did nothing to the head or the entire torso. She didn't want to girl dead or any damage rendered against anything required for further conception. She must be able to make more children for the Raikage.

All this interference made it challenging.

The mostly untrained girl had landed three good taps. Her results weren't like the Hyuuga studied in the past.

Instead of precise debilitating touches, the girl more or less detonated any tenketsu she managed to touch. As if Yugito's body were hundreds of little bombs and this...girl had a bit of fire.

It was a deadly battle. A deadly, wonderful battle.

"I think I want your son to have a sister. Maybe twins. More children who can bear children. More glory for the Raikage."

More anger for the mind of the Hyuuga.

This was the hardest Yugito had had to work for a win in some time.

She was aiming to capture. The untrained but deadly girl was aiming to kill. Being handicapped this way made things much more interesting.

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The ash-ninja shambled forward.

Naruto needed to keep the Wrath of God going...but he needed to push a stream of wind inside it. Keep most of the air out, but let a very thin column inside. All of the damage to the cells was slowing. Most of the ash-ninja's cell had already been popped at least once. Naruto needed to put more air inside this puppet if he were going to get the total destruction he needed.

Naruto formed up a thin lance, perhaps a Needle of the Gods, and rammed in forward into the Wrath of God. Naruto directed it inside what had once been the mouth of the ninja. He could feel it moving inside the opening and closing throat and chest of the abomination. He directed it to branch off, to find paths into every part of the ash-ninja's body.

It took moments but it was such a strange sensation to control air this way, to make it invade, to make it begin to penetrate even the smallest parts of the ash-ninja's remaining bulk. If Naruto were ever asked to draw a map of how the air had penetrated the dead-ninja's body, the result would have been incomprehensible. Thin columns that branched every inch, like a statue of a man made only out of gleaming silver needles.

He used the multi-branched column of air to lift the ash-ninja off his dissolving and reforming feet and legs. Naruto suspended the thing in the air and let go his control over the Lance of God.

All those fresh pockets of air now exploded outward, the pressure differential more powerful than the biggest explosive tag Naruto had ever seen.

The mess now existed as a black and red cloud inside in the Wrath of God. There were strings trying to reform the body. Trying and struggling. There was no semi-stable core to add onto it. But if Naruto let this go on for very long, there just might be.

He looked around. For a person who was doing this.

Naruto saw things in the sand outside the glass radius, outside the Wrath of God radius.

He used blades of wind to destroy everything, all of it. Including an odd looking mask. Inside the Wrath of God, the threads or strings stopped their attempts to cling to each other, to draw each other back into a mass.

Naruto let the disgusting mess hang suspended in the vacuum for more than a minute, waiting, watching. Hoping it was over.

He hopped with Konohamaru as far as he could away from the mess-to-be.

He ended his separation of air particle from air particle. The air rushed in.

The particles that had seemed suspended in nothing now had gravity reasserting primacy over them. The ash-ninja, what was left of him, landed in a soggy five-foot radius in the sand.

Naruto felt the barrier that Jiraiya maintained end. His sometime teacher was by Naruto's side a few moments later.

Before they could speak, Konohamaru rolled over and glared.

"You hit me."

The boy had his hand out and his accusing finger extended.

"Why'd you hit me?"

Jiraiya laughed.

Naruto would have pouted if he had the strength left. Save a boy's life and take a raft of shit for the methods used.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

A kunai slammed into a leg. A young woman screamed in pain. A body hit concrete.

"I think two daughters and three or four more sons," Yugito said, crowing her victory.

"They'll keep filling you full of children and you'll keep adding to the Raikage's army, little Hyuuga. I wonder what clan name they'll think up. Something new, of course. Something great."

"No."

"He was so angry at you when you escaped. I assume the child you carried died?"

"No."

"You're not a good liar." Yugito reversed her hold on her kunai and sawed off the right hand of the lying Hyuuga girl. Her very dangerous hand. Yugito was bleeding and in plenty of pain from what this untrained...thing had done to her.

"There, trouble me no longer, little baby maker. We'll push an army out of you before your body falls apart."

The Hyuuga was on the ground, bleeding, not listening, one hand amputated. Yugito was about to take the other when the girl moved faster than Yugito could have imagined.

Yugito's ankle no long seemed intact.

"No. Never again," the bloody, one-handed Hyuuga said.

She tapped her own chest and flopped flush against the cement of the arena structure.

Her chest no longer heaved.

Her eyes were open and fixed. Lifeless.

She'd been defeated. By even the defeated have a final choice.

All the stress Yugito had added with her words. The fear in her mind...had crystalized into this. Yugito had won...and lost.

Yugito couldn't understand it. She sat and stared at the girl who'd killed herself rather than return to service for the Raikage.

She was still sitting when three ANBU arrived, saw the carnage, and subdued Yugito. Too late to save one of the village's newest arrivals. Too late, as often was the case, to do more than clean up the devastation.

Yugito sat, mostly unable to move, mostly unable to mold chakra, looking at the body of the dead young woman. Her taunts...her choicest taunts...had done this.

If Konoha didn't kill her, the Raikage would. He'd order up a new host and reseal the Nibi...just to punish her, just to kill her in the most violent way he knew how.

This was failure on an epic scale.

Only from fear, from words designed to promote anger and rage...and fear.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Madara regained his wits after the utter destruction of Kakuzu. The Kyuubi had done a deal with its prison guard, it seemed, that smiling blond twit, otherwise there was no way to take down Kakuzu that way. Madara had poured almost the bulk of his chakra into animating that hunk of cells those last two minutes. Even now he was beyond exhausted, the most taxing thing he'd done in several decades.

He had enough inside him to phase out and disappear from Konoha.

He had his information. Which told him he needed more information. The Kyuubi was going to be a challenge.

He'd seen techniques this day he'd never envisioned. One technique in particular that Madara didn't know how he himself would survive...because he didn't know what it had done at all.

Some close secret, he supposed.

He would discover what it did. He would discover a way to work around it. He always did.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Itachi saw medical personnel flooding the field. He watched some bodies draped in sheets. He watched others, a smaller percentage, whisked for additional treatment.

He stared toward the field rather than at the ANBU who were dragging him through the stadium.

ANBU brought the bleeding, exhausted man before the Hokage. He held his head high, resigned to his fate as an infiltrator.

The Hokage frowned. "He was seen by a medic?"

"Not yet."

The Hokage dismissed his soldiers with an annoyed flick of his wrist.

"They follow their orders better than they obey common sense." The Hokage said, as if he were breaking a confidence. "Still, a brief conversation will hurt nothing. Your name," the aged, seated figure asked. Not demanded. Asked.

Uchiha Itachi said nothing.

He hadn't been so badly beat up in quite some time. He also didn't make a point of walking into a place where he might just be ambushed either.

Everything about this self-directed mission had gone against his normal decisions.

He'd been ganged up on by three people trying to cut a path through Itachi and out of the arena.

He didn't know why he'd tried to keep them there. He didn't know why he'd fought and helped defend this place, the ancient home of his clan, the place where the clan effectively ended.

He supposed he didn't like traitors or betrayers of any kind. Orochimaru was denied him...but other traitors were still meals he could make.

"You are an Uchiha," the Hokage said.

Itachi's eyes flashed inadvertently. In surprise.

"I would ask you not to show your eyes that way again. My ANBU are, understandably, nervous."

The old man didn't fear Itachi. Everyone feared the Uchiha once they discovered he was the one pursuing them, about to collect their heads.

"I spent forty years on battle fields with Uchiha, my young man. I fear nothing you can do."

Itachi believed the old man. He was smarter than he was powerful...and his power was rumored in every village Itachi had ever visited.

"You look like...well, like names we no longer speak."

It sounded like the Hokage was musing, allowing his advanced old age to ponder down neglected avenues of memory. Insulting memories. 'Names we no longer speak,' as if this man were qualified to speak of the ashes he helped to cause.

Itachi recognized the anger he felt. The slight. The invitation to volunteer information. He calmed himself. He didn't let his mind lose the battle with the mind opposing him.

He stood, help up by an ANBU.

"If I didn't know better I would say you were...Itachi."

As if the old bastard had a mind reading jutsu.

"I can see I'm right. ANBU, please take our honored guest to the hospital. Make sure he's comfortable. Make sure, also, that he and I will be able to speak at greater length in the next day or two. I have always regretted that the Uchiha abandoned this village. Thus making themselves targets for criminals, like my former student. I don't think he's prepared to hear an apology in his current state. But I want him to be able to hear it soon."

The ANBU drug Itachi away. He turned his head. "I do want to talk to you."

The mind games had worked. Itachi had caved.

There was a reason this village left that old man in power as long as they had. His mind was sharper than any other weapon the village might have wanted to use.

"Rest, Itachi. Heal up. We will speak tomorrow or the next day."

As Itachi let his damaged body go limp, he heard the start of a conversation.

"Bring me my grandson and Uzumaki Naruto."

"Sir, the Fire Lord..."

"We'll handle him first then. Then Konohamaru."

"Yes, sir."

Once out of the Hokage's presence, the ANBU gathered Itachi in his arms and leaped into the air, all the faster to get Itachi to his prison cell...or perhaps it would actually be a hospital room with guards outside.

Itachi had no illusions anymore.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The young lord walked in screaming. Eventually he managed to begin using an almost normal tone of voice. His repeated statement didn't vary much from when it had been yelled to when it was almost appropriate for a conversation.

"We insist this tournament end," the Daimyo pronounced. Again.

'We.' The pompous ass. Using 'we' every time. As if he, one person, were an entire country. The young man barely knew how to dress himself without three attendants.

Demanding.

Not asking.

Not negotiating.

Or suggesting.

Demanding.

As if he could contend with a Hokage who'd outlasted four Fire Daimyo's.

Sarutobi knew the tournament was over. But he wouldn't capitulate now that this young man Sarutobi had made Daimyo by killing off his predecessor had irritated him.

"No."

"You must."

"Go back to your capital and waste the tax revenues. The military arm is in good hands. I control it."

"We must confirm your successor."

Sarutobi was tempted to smile. He'd killed one Daimyo in the last year. Why not make it two? Go through the entire family until he found someone with a scrap of wisdom. A young man didn't walk up to even an ancient S-rank ninja and demand anything.

"We noted Senju Tsunade was present. Why not transition to her?"

"She is unsuitable."

"We think you will find our confirmation withheld for anyone but a member of the founding clan of the village, Lord Hokage."

How easy to destroy a noble. There was the straight kill, of course. But better was the embarrassing death. The one that would never be admitted in public, but would rip through the gossip vines faster than anything else. A situation where the Daimyo died unclothed. Perhaps a sexual situation. Perhaps something degrading. Tied up and beaten. Suffocated by the women he'd hired to entertain him. Sarutobi had signed off on a mission just like that a week earlier but targeted at a minor noble of Tea Country.

"Senju Tsunade has spent the last decade or longer. Two decades. Drinking and wasting money."

"We know. She'd deeply indebted to us."

The Hokage understood. The Daimyo expected to buy himself a drunken, broken, easily cowed Hokage.

Sarutobi stared at the man as a horrible plan formed in his mind. So much for ever telling a ninja one's plans.

Sarutobi ignored the man and looked out at the arena. That made the young lord almost begin demanding again. Instead, Sarutobi pointed at the damage to the masonry.

"The structure may be unstable. Please have your samurai escort you out to safety."

"We haven't completed this conversation."

"We have."

He waved at the ANBU. Three men hustled the Daimyo out of the Hokage's box. The young man began almost screaming, almost swearing. Embarrassment meant more to someone like that than any amount of actual violence.

Sarutobi may not have sure use of his legs and arms, but he could think faster than any five Daimyo's.

He already knew what to do.

He just hated to harden his heart enough to do it.

He needed now to speak to Naruto in private. To break this news to the boy in a way that was gentle, a way that could be absorbed.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Naruto kept Jiraiya from fussing at him until ANBU asked for his assistance with a jinchuuriki among the infiltrators. One deeply wounded, but still very dangerous.

After he left, Naruto tried to help the wounded, but Konohamaru wouldn't leave Naruto alone. The boy's anger had turned to shock. He was shaking.

Until an ANBU appeared.

"Uzumaki, the Hokage is ready for you. Honorable Grandson, he wishes to speak with you, too."

Naruto regarded the ANBU who'd interrupted a conversation. "We're coming."

"I don't want to see him," Konohamaru said, embarrassed at what had happened, at being knocked out in front of his grandfather. He was a bare two steps away from a full tantrum. The boy kept switching emotions and moods. From the aftereffects of terror he'd descended to petulance.

"It was stupid to enter." It was perhaps the fourth time Naruto had restated his premise.

"No it wasn't."

That was the fourth time Konohamaru had responded like a child would.

"That man was a monster. You would have been toast."

"No, I wouldn't."

Naruto latched onto the younger ninja in training and drug him along to meet with Sarutobi-sensei.

They arrived at the Hokage box overlooking the stadium. The Hokage sat rigid in his chair watching ninja on the arena floor, people helping the wounded, people surveying the dead, people beginning to work on repairing the damage done to the structure so that the entire building wouldn't be imperiled.

"Do you see now why I asked you not to participate, my grandson?"

"No."

"Can you think of how I would have felt if I had sat in this chair and watched my grandson die?"

Konohamaru shook his head. But he began to cry silent tears.

"Did you thank Naruto?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because he knocked me unconscious."

"He saved your life, Konohamaru."

"No."

The Hokage looked at one of the ever-present ANBU, nervous that their leader was still in this building where destruction had barely ended. "Ask Ebisu to step in."

"Not my tutor."

The Hokage refused to look at his grandson. He waited for another person to enter the box. "Ah, Ebisu."

"My lord?"

"Sarutobi Konohamaru is one of your students."

"Yes, my lord." Ebisu was confused, particularly as the Hokage's grandson was right there.

"He seems particularly defiant today."

"It appears so."

"I think he would benefit from some training."

"Not with him," Konohamaru shouted.

"Training hard enough to break through some misconceptions."

Ebisu nodded.

"You remember your application to join the ANBU before you became involved with internal affairs?"

"Yes, sir."

"It was a particularly difficult testing course, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was."

"I think Konohamaru should give it a try."

"Are you..."

"Positive, Ebisu. The course, on repeat, each day for a week. He may stop each day after he pukes," the Hokage said.

"Sir?"

"Run him until he pukes. Dismissed."

"No," Konohamaru squealed.

"You want to be in the middle of S-ranked ninja battles, my grandson. We are going to damned well make you hard enough to survive such foolishness. Dismissed."

The glare that accompanied this second dismissal was enough to wither the grandson.

"Tea service for two," the Hokage said.

All the nearby ANBU left. Naruto guessed it was some kind of code phrase. 'Leave us alone.'

"You did an impossible thing down there. Sit. You're exhausted."

"Thanks." Naruto sat, but he wasn't exhausted. All the work he'd done. All the strain. He no longer felt it.

"You are a master of wind techniques, the greatest on the Elemental Continent," Sarutobi proclaimed.

"There's tons more to learn."

"That is what a master always says. But only the ones who really are masters. Anyone who proclaims himself a master and says he's learned it all, well that man is a fraud."

"There's tons more to learn."

Sarutobi-sensei smiled.

"You will receive the bounty for killing that ninja."

"Who was he?"

"A nightmare of a legend. He once fought the First Hokage..."

"What?"

"Naruto, you destroyed an S-ranked ninja."

Naruto blinked, shocked.

"You see?"

"No."

"Kakuzu of Waterfall. The bounty is going to be astronomical. He was famed, while he was still known to be alive, for tracking down ninja who had bounties on them...and killing them. For the bounty."

"Oh..."

"You need more experience, of course. But you will, very soon even if not today, be known as a wind master. You will be registered in Bingo Books as a S-class ninja, Naruto."

"I'm not ready."

Sarutobi was glad that Naruto had matured as fast as he'd needed to. No false modesty here. The boy was concerned. He was frightened not of what had just happened, but of what the future would hold for him. As a man with a price on his head. A man of skill whom others will want to test. In lethal fashion.

"No. No one ever is."

Naruto decided that Sarutobi-sensei had even faced this before. He might be old, but he knew what he was talking about. He knew because he'd been strong and lost and confused all at the same time before.

"Naruto, I've decided."

"Decided?"

The Hokage nodded rather than explain. He looked at his final student and the seconds slipped by. It was less an hour since the violence ended and Naruto found his own hand still shaking just the tiniest bit.

He knew the Hokage took note of it.

"Decided?" Naruto asked again.

"The first test. The first of six planned tests. I've seen enough from this test of wisdom. We won't bother with the rest."

"Sensei?"

"I've decided."

"On the next Hokage?"

The Hokage nodded. "Wisdom is always lashed to bravery and strength and resolution, some of the other virtues I wished to single out and test especially. But testing one usually tests them all, especially when the test becomes as difficult as this one was."

"So who did you pick? Maito Gai? Or...there was one man who gave a fake name. Not too tall, black hair. Probably an ANBU."

Sarutobi smiled and shook his head.

"I'm going to give you a mission."

That was more like it. "I'm ready."

"It's long term. In three parts."

"Lay it on me."

"First, you report to the Hokage Tower tomorrow at ten."

"Yes, sir."

"I will give you a formal reward for your performance today. For saving my ungrateful grandson. For becoming an unheralded, but nonetheless, S-rank ninja."

"What is it?"

"Report to me tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. What are the other two parts?"

"Impatient. I never did manage to teach you to stop fidgeting, did I?"

Naruto smiled. "Never."

"Well, just for that you'll have to wait."

"That's not fair."

"I'm a busy man. I'll see you tomorrow at ten."

Naruto frowned, but did as he was requested. He wouldn't get anything else out of Sarutobi-sensei until the old man was ready to talk.

Naruto knew to be wary when his sensei was being cagey. Naruto didn't make it out of the stadium before Jiraiya latched onto the boy.

"We need to do a bit of training."

Jiraiya picked the strangest times to get serious about things. Naruto didn't complain. He followed Jiraiya to the most out of the way training field he'd ever heard about. It was going to be a long, long day.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Day turned to night. The bars began to empty. All except one. The bartender couldn't leave because one patron wouldn't leave and no one could be found who was stupid enough to force her to leave.

The patron in question had a reputation.

Tsunade ran out of ryo at four in the morning after the bartender forced her pay cash for each drink. She looked disgusted when she lifted herself off the barstool. She swaggered out of the bar. She thought she'd see if she could leave Konoha tomorrow. Perhaps the old bastard who'd imprisoned her here was finally ready to let her leave.

After all, the damage she'd done this afternoon was her on good behavior. She could do much worse.

She wobbled down the street.

The booze was staying with her for once. Tsunade didn't realize that the sake had been laced with small amounts of various poisons. So small she couldn't taste them. In such large quantities of alcohol that they were now doing considerable damage to her body.

When she collapsed into an alley there were four ANBU prepared to catch her. A moment later, the five ninja disappeared.

When Tsunade woke to a slash of hot water to her face, she realized her head hurt. Badly. She tried to do a healing technique on herself. Her chakra wouldn't mold the right way.

The headache remained.

She looked at her surroundings. A concrete room.

Had she been kidnapped? She didn't know.

"What the hell," she bellowed. "Shizune!"

It took a moment to remember that she and Shizune weren't speaking at the moment. Traitor.

"Help! Help me."

A door in the wall opened. Three people walked into the darkened room. Three new people in addition to whoever was present. The room closed and it seemed as if everything were sealed, as if they existed inside a coffin.

Two walked around behind where Tsunade sat. She tried to twist to see who they were. The wire binding her into the chair held firm. She tried to break the chair, a simple thing for her on an ordinary day.

The chair held.

She was helpless.

The cloaked...man who stood in front of Tsunade began to speak to her.

"Jounin Senju Tsunade, you stand charged with treason."

She sat up in her chair, the words doing some little thing to poke themselves through a drunken haze of rage and confusion and indignation.

It was an old formula, a feared one. Her formal title, her name, the charge leveled against her. Within thirty minutes or an hour at most she would be cleared or dead.

There'd been stories of this procedure when she'd been a serving jounin.

She tried to claw the stories back out of the haze. What should she do? What could she say?

"I am a ninja of Konoha. I demand the Hokage hear this." Stop this, is what she meant.

"I am here," came a whisper into her ear.

Sarutobi had allowed them to capture her, try her. "No. No, he would never do this..."

"Jounin Senju Tsunade, you have traveled under freedoms given and later revoked by the Sandaime Hokage. You have refused the recall to service. During a term of emergency that began this morning, you refused a summons for assistance from the deputy director of the hospital. In fact, you punched her through a wall, breaking a leg and at least six ribs. You have defied your Hokage and done damage to your village in a time of emergency. Defend your actions."

"I never wanted to be here."

"You are a serving ninja with dispensation. You had your freedom to travel until you violated your dispensation. You refused all offers, all reason. Defend yourself."

Tsunade finally understood the Hokage and his other executioners were serious.

This was a real trial for treason.

The Hokage had allowed this to proceed. He meant to kill her. Like he'd murdered Orochimaru. Like this village murdered her little brother and her fiancee and everyone else she'd ever cared for.

"I will return to service, I will. If you permit me."

"It's too late," the Hokage whispered to her. "Very much too late."

"You should have told me..."

"I did, Tsunade. I recalled you so that we could talk. Would you come and have that conversation with me, no."

"I will now."

"No. It's impossible," the Hokage said. "You aren't sincere. You're terrified, Tsunade. I babied you. I treated you like a princess out of respect for Hashirama and Tobirama. I allowed you to become this dangerous wretch, so much power inside you still, but the core of you is eaten out and replaced. It's taken the threat of death to wake you from your drunken haze. I would not trust you to be Hokage now, nor ever."

"I don't want to be Hokage."

"You will find that Senju Tsunade has no choice in the matter. The Daimyo and I have fought on the subject...and, after I die, he means to have his way. I cannot permit this."

"You're going to kill me? Me!"

"Eventually. First I will replace you. Then 'you'll' become Hokage. But your drinking will worsen. In three years, yes, in three years you will be dead Tsunade."

She didn't understand. "I'll change."

"I can't give you that chance."

"I don't understand."

"Enma, hold her."

A pair of hairy arms, a monkey's arms, grabbed round her middle, holding her into her chair. She felt a brush on her neck.

"No, no!"

"Seal."

Tsunade felt nothing else. In that moment, she ceased to exist.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Naruto arrived at the Hokage Tower, excited and nervous. The Hokage didn't keep him waiting. But there was someone else in the room. Someone covered in cloth from head to toe.

"Sit, Naruto," the Hokage said.

Naruto looked at the third person in their meeting.

"Who..."

"A very specialized agent of mine. Called Taro. Let us speak a few moments and then Taro may have a few things to add to the conversation."

"Alright."

When Sarutobi-sensei went mysterious, it was usually for a good reason. Unlike when the Pervy Sage did it, that was usually for less than pure reasons. Naruto trusted the Hokage, though. Always would.

"Three tasks I've assigned, three missions. You're well on your way to completing the first one, Naruto."

"It's not hard to show up for a meeting on time."

"Have you met Hatake Kakashi? Took me a couple of years to break him of his excessive tardiness."

"I'm already that much ahead."

"You are. Let us talk about your battle yesterday now that your hands no longer shake."

"I couldn't stop them."

"It's nothing to apologize for. Your body was keyed for fighting, even when things appeared safe. Do not apologize for being wary."

"Yes, sir."

"What do you know about S-rank ninja?"

"We never studied them much in the Academy."

"It's not really an official designation."

"So..."

The Hokage nodded. "How does one become one?"

"Yes," Naruto said.

"It was originally a kind of courtesy, given to a Kage. After all, there should be some way to indicate that a Kage was stronger than the other A-ranked jounin of the village. Later on, different theorists attempted to justify what it meant, how strong one must be in order to possess the rank. Suna, our sometime ally, had a theory that an S-rank ninja must be able to contend with and overwhelm the One-Tailed Tanuki or its jinchuuriki. That was its formal definition for quite some time in that part of the world..."

"But a water user..."

"Yes, that blue-tinted ninja you once contended with. Hoshigaki Kisame, he wouldn't have done all that well in a desert, but he is undoubtedly an S-rank ninja."

"Why? What does it mean?"

"I try to get something of value out of every definition I've heard. But the reason I need to have this conversation with you is this: an S-rank ninja must appear, must actually be, so much stronger than an A-rank ninja that it would be like a seasoned jounin going up against a green genin. That kind of overwhelming difference. If the S-ranker wants to survive for long. From the fame hunters and bounty hunters and upswells of war."

"I don't follow."

"In my definition, cobbled together from pieces of so many others, an acclamation of an S-rank means that a person is ready to be a Kage of a major village or has the skills necessary to kill a Kage of a major village. These titles, once courtesies, are now earned in battle or in ambush or in other kinds of treachery. Like your father and his S-rank. His then reputed elevated to a double-S rank. It was courtesy and fear that gave those acclamations."

Naruto tried not to look as confused and bored as he was. It was like one of the theory lectures back in the academy.

"The usual way for someone to be acclaimed an S-rank ninja is..."

"I don't know."

"To kill one in battle."

Which Naruto had done the day before. "Oh." He was a chuunin who'd killed an S-ranker. He was an S-ranker himself, it seemed. He found himself rather unamused.

"Few saw it. None whom I don't control."

"But if we ask for the bounty."

"We will."

"But..."

"In my definition, an S-rank ninja must look impossible to tackle by an A-rank ninja, an experienced jounin. That means a few areas of outsized strength but no, zero, areas of softness or weakness. No obvious vulnerabilities."

"But I..."

"You're not ready."

Naruto deflated. "Yes."

"I know," Sarutobi-sensei said. "You have strong taijutsu. It's not a strength compared to the rest of your arsenal but it's not a weakness. You need help with genjutsu and weapons usage. Your ninjutsu is your greatest strength. Your elemental connection. They say that every element is strong against another and weak against another. Not the way you use wind. A fire user, normally your challenging type, would flail around against your Wrath of God technique, wouldn't he?"

"Yes."

"But you need secondary strengths. Your father summoned from the Toad Clan. He also became a superlative user of complex fuinjutsu."

"So, I need something like that."

"Your favorite enemy Kisame is a master of the sword, a summoner, possessed of chakra reserves that may just rival my own at my peak, and a mastery over water that is little removed from your own."

"I will be that good," Naruto vowed.

"There are other S-rankers who are more specialized. Less well-balanced. You could go that route. But I prefer greater balance. Less using a powerful offense to make up for a weak defense. Someone who possesses the whole package."

"I'll master it all," Naruto said.

Sarutobi waved his hand in caution. "You need something that you can work with. Master. Something in addition to your wind mastery. It's up to you to find what that is. So..."

"So?"

"The end of your first of three missions for me, do you want to hear what it is?"

"Yes." With more than a touch of exasperation in his voice.

"I will open my private library. Spend the next few days inside. Look at every scroll. Examine it. Determine if it could really work for you."

"I get to read everything?"

"Skim, yes. But I will allow you to copy...let's say, three scrolls for yourself."

"Three scrolls." A treasure greater than anything, if Naruto took his time and picked well.

"Three scrolls as a reward for saving Konohamaru's life, let us agree."

"Yes, sir."

"There are clear copies. You will be permitted to make a copy of each in your personal cipher."

"Personal cipher?"

"Don't have one, do you?"

"No."

"Well, first, you're going to create a personal cipher. I'm not letting you carry copies of these three scrolls out of this building until you do."

Naruto quickly realized this reward was another kind of test of wisdom. Everything with Sarutobi-sensei was a test, wasn't it. Pick the right scrolls, develop a difficult enough cipher. It was worse than being back in the Academy. Harder.

"What are the other two missions?"

"Greedy today?"

Naruto shook his head. Defending himself wouldn't work if Sarutobi was in a mood to pick on him.

"Well, I'll tell you, even though I should let you puzzle for a while. Taro, let's see your face."

The ninja in the other chair removed the cloak that had covered everything.

There was nothing remarkable about his face.

"Now let's see the other," Sarutobi asked.

As Naruto looked on, this other ninja's face...changed. It wasn't just a simple Henge. It was something else. As if his skin molded into a new face.

In a moment, the man had a woman's face, a young lady's face. The dark hair had gone blond. There was a diamond that emerged on 'her' forehead.

"There's a plan I need to explain. Can I ask your patience, Naruto?"

"Yes." He was excited by the thought of the three scrolls. He was baffled by this other story.

"This Taro has just become a doppelganger for my...student Senju Tsunade."

"Oh."

"She was tried for treason last night. She is now dead."

"But..."

"There are very few who know she's dead, Naruto. You're one of four. The three of us and the Monkey King."

"Not even Jiraiya."

"I will never tell him what I had to do."

Naruto nodded.

"I am dying."

"I know. I guessed."

"Weeks, perhaps. Two months, maybe."

Naruto knew, but now he was forced to really know. His eyes teared.

"Tears are for funerals. Now we have to prepare. Us three. The Third Hokage. The Fifth Hokage." Sarutobi pointed at the man-woman. "The Sixth Hokage."

He pointed at Naruto.

On top of everything else, that was crushing. It exited him to know that Sarutobi believed him capable. But his mentor would be dead soon.

He was involved in something unsavory. Dangerous. Deadly. A conspiracy.

"I am going to nominate you as the Fifth. The Daimyo will overrule my nomination. He will put Tsunade into office. You and Jiraiya will go on a training trip. Three years, no more than four.

"You have three years to wipe away the weaknesses, to develop secondary masteries. You have three years to build a reputation as an S-ranker, Naruto. You have three years to make yourself the obvious successor to Tsunade. You will be the Sixth Hokage."

Naruto could see it happening. He sat, stunned, working through it, unraveling all that the Hokage had twisted into his plan.

"If you want me..."

"Why am I letting the Daimyo have his way?"

"Yes."

"Because I wished I would live another three years. I would give you that time anyway. Now I have constructed a method to make you Hokage after giving you a period of years to prepare for the responsibility."

"I accept."

Sarutobi nodded once, the matter settled. He was pleased but concern was the order of the day even through the pleasure of this promotion.

"Now you know your last two missions for me. Keep Jiraiya out of trouble for three years and become the Sixth Fire Shadow."

Naruto smiled, crying. "I accept."

"The village will be safe hiding behind Tsunade's reputation. She will be a desk bound Hokage as I was for the last few decades. Naruto, you may wish to govern more how your father did. He was more a field Hokage during his few years. That may have changed as he aged, but you may wish to start that way."

"There are so many questions I have to ask..."

"Well, Taro let Naruto into the library. I will let you collect yourself. We can talk again this afternoon. I expect a steady stream of people in my office concerning what happened yesterday."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you," the Hokage said. "I feel much better that I will leave this village to someone, to a pair of people, who will love it as much as I do."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Jiraiya looked shocked when his sensei appeared. First, there was an ANBU who had 'teleported' them both into the room.

The old man looked old...looked unhealthy.

The ANBU, one Jiraiya didn't know from his mask, helped Sarutobi into a chair.

"Can you fetch Itachi."

The ANBU departed.

"Why are we meeting in a hospital?"

"I have a critical favor to ask," Sarutobi said. Not answering.

"Anything." Jiraiya didn't mean 'anything' even if he said it.

"I am approving the training trip you once requested. Three years of it."

"We've been on training trips."

"I want him out of the village for three years."

"Why?"

"Politics."

"You crushed all of them."

"The new Daimyo has decided to pick a fight."

Jiraiya scowled. Politics was the least interesting aspect of intelligence gathering. He understood it but wished he could wash that space out in his mind and reuse it for something better.

"So you trust me now."

"I have a second request."

"Oh, a day of miracles. Sarutobi-sensei asking for things. Not ordering."

"There is a young man. I want you to take him along on the trip. Work with him. I think he has potential."

"Who?"

He half expected to be saddled with the bratty grandson.

"One of the surviving Uchiha."

Jiraiya leaned forward, involuntarily. Damn. He'd given away how interested he just might be.

"Uchiha, huh?"

Non-challant didn't work just then. He still tried and failed with it. He'd never been good at talking with his sensei. The man read too much into everything so Jiraiya always felt over-analyzed and under-appreciated.

"Meet him, really assess him. He could be a danger to Konoha unless we do our best to pull him inside."

"You want me to risk Naruto around this guy?"

"You saw what happened in the arena."

Jiraiya was still kicking himself over his seal array. His fuinjutsu had done some things, but not all things and had left it possible for the huge mess that happened the day before.

"He's good, but there is better."

"You have three years."

The way Sarutobi said it, he meant that Naruto had three years to help himself with Jiraiya occasionally succeeding in making some useful contribution.

"Uchiha, huh?"

"Yes." It was a new voice, soft and full of power.

The door was open. Jiraiya hadn't heard it open, but the Hokage wasn't surprised. Even if the old man got to a hundred, he'd still be finer than his students.

A tall, lithe young man, distinctly Uchiha, walked into the room. The ANBU remained in the hall and pulled the door closed.

"We've met before," Itachi said to Jiraiya.

"We have?"

"I hypnotized you in a small village near Wave Country."

Sarutobi laughed a moment before his face erupted in pain.

"Sensei!"

"Sit. I'm fine." His face was back to serene, the pain covered over.

"Do the doctors agree with your amateur diagnosis?"

"No."

"Do you mind if I..."

"Sit."

The Uchiha seemed as if he'd seen nothing at all.

"This young man was in the tournament yesterday."

"I remember," Jiraiya said. "A good fighter."

It wasn't easy to pretend his teacher was dying as they sat around and exchanged small talk. But no one ever told Sarutobi-sensei he was wrong. He never was, at least in his own mind. Now his firmness would kill him.

"I regretted that the Uchiha left. A few remained behind. Have you met them?" Sarutobi asked Itachi.

"No."

"Jiraiya will make the introductions. None of them are ninja. All civilians."

"It doesn't matter to me."

It did to the boy's father, Jiraiya realized. Fugaku and Mikoto, two people Sarutobi had killed. Jiraiya wondered if Itachi knew that. Probably not.

"Family is family if you've never had one," the Uchiha said.

"I would also ask you to accompany Jiraiya on a task I've assigned him."

"I'm not one of your ninja."

"No, you're not. I wish that were different."

"I don't plan to join your village."

"That's a discussion for a different time. I just wish for you to have an opportunity to do an apprenticeship with a stronger ninja."

"As I said, I once hypnotized your 'stronger ninja.'"

"Yes, he does have his weaknesses. I think, if you were willing, you might find Jiraiya a capable mentor for a few months...or even a few years."

"What are you asking?"

"You are a capable ninja. But I can see that you could be an outstanding ninja. Self taught?"

"Mostly."

"Independent of any hidden village."

"Yes."

"A hunter, then?"

Itachi was silent.

"I heard of such a hunter who brought in the bodies of two S-ranked ninja. One who was a freakish, but fresh kill. A puppeteer of some renown. One the body of a long missing kage. The Third Kazekage."

"That was me." He sounded unhappy to make the admission.

"I think you could do with some finishing school, Itachi."

"Why? To keep an eye on me?"

"Because we owe a debt to those we couldn't protect, who wouldn't accept our help. My student, the one I was remiss with when I could have stopped him years and years ago, slaughtered what was left of you. I would help you, with my student's assistance, if I could."

"It sounds good. What's the rest of the story?"

"There will be war. In two years or five, I don't know when. I have to own up to my responsibility. The way I handled Orochimaru, the way I handled the aftermath left us as a stronger village, but I created a massive amount of resentment. Now it will wash itself out in blood soon enough."

"You want another soldier."

"Yes. I also want you to have a better chance to survive. In these wars, when they appear, independent shinobi and very small villages are the first proxies to be slaughtered. Once even our ally of Uzu perished for this reason. Many small villages, many powerful but independent shinobi may perish in what comes soon. I extend you something of a shield to protect yourself with."

"Why the independent shinobi?"

"Because all the mercenaries either join up or die...villages do this to protect themselves and deny resources to their enemies. You will have to pick a side."

"So you want me watched over by two S-ranked ninja. I think I'd fear your younger student more than your older one."

"Naruto."

"Namikaze Naruto."

"He is the most dangerous ninja who will ever exist," Sarutobi said with some pride.

"That's overstating things," Jiraiya interjected.

"Wait. You'll see. Itachi and I agree. Naruto will be a superb ninja. Beyond superb. Surpassing his own father's legacy, I have no doubt."

Jiraiya ignored all that. He was focused on the Uchiha. "You expect me to get him ready for a war?"

Sarutobi smiled. He didn't answer. He expected more than what Jiraiya expected.

"I will accompany your students for a month," Itachi volunteered.

"Renewable month by month if it works out, I hope."

"Perhaps."

"Good. Jiraiya, could you pour us all a drink. I think there's a bottle over there."

Jiraiya rose and, before he could find dishes for all them to use, he heard a thump. He heard Itachi moving. Jiraiya shifted, expected to see Itachi as an assassin. Instead, the Hokage was having a seizure. Itachi was out the door summoning help.

Jiraiya almost dropped the sake.

He managed to return it to the shelf. He stood and watched, helpless.

Old age had done what ten thousand enemies couldn't. Sarutobi Hiruzen was dying.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The funeral, held ten days after Sarutobi went into a coma following his seizure, was on the brightest, warmest day anyone could imagine. No rain, not a cloud in the sky. As if the Hokage himself had decreed excellent weather.

The old man's will had been unsealed. His designee for the Fifth Hokage had been floated and publicly rejected by the Fire Daimyo. Namikaze Naruto still served as one of the chief mourners, even though he wouldn't take the hat from his late teacher.

The Hokage-designate, Senju Tsunade, was a chief mourner as were Jiraiya and the surviving members of the Sarutobi clan. In total, there were hundreds who walked in procession. The ninja who didn't walk were on duty, keeping the peace.

It was a simple ceremony. Simple in its meaning. Konoha had lost its leader of decades but several students of the late Hokage stood ready to protect the place.

The Tsuchikage sent his granddaughter to pay his respects.

The Kazekage attended in person. The Raikage sent a team of genin, without their jounin-sensei, some kind of snub that no one cared about. The smaller allies of Konoha sent their observers, too.

Akatsuki was represented. Uchiha Madara attended, as he had for each fallen Hokage. He didn't start something, although he was tempted. He wanted to lay into the Kyuubi and see what it knew, what additional tricks it had learned.

After the funeral, the procession returned to the Hokage Tower and Tsunade was invested as the Fifth. 'Konoha is strong. The Kage is dead; long live the Kage' the unmistakable message.

Tsunade invited Naruto into 'her' office.

"Surviving?" Naruto asked once the two were behind sound-proofed doors.

"I've never held an operation as long as this one will last. I've already had to send 'my' apprentice, Shizune, off to Fire City to make sure she won't notice any differences."

"You sure you'll be ready to give it up in three years?"

"Having to carry around melons this size strapped to my chest? I'm not going to have a spine in three years."

The implication being that 'Taro' might be tempted if the mission weren't set so cleverly. Being forced to govern as Tsunade made him eager to give it up. Of course, Sarutobi-sensei had considered this angle...or even crafted it into his plan.

"You can pick your next assignment after the...next transition," Naruto offered.

"I'll hold you to that."

"What will you do with the Fire Daimyo."

"The Third and I discussed a plan. After you return, you will be told the results."

Naruto couldn't ask for more. "You've been his understudy for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes. I've even been a Daimyo before."

"Are you sure you wouldn't make a better Hokage than I would..."

"On some issues. As a peace-time Hokage, perhaps yes. You will need to be a wartime Hokage. I'm an infiltration specialist. I'm not that kind of leader," Taro explained. "Not a front-line warrior."

Naruto heard answers he liked. "I will see you in three years."

"Have Jiraiya send messages weekly."

"Won't the toads know you're not Tsunade?"

"He's sending them to the High Jounin. I'm pretending to be furious with him."

"Smart."

Naruto and 'Tsunade' stepped out into the hallway outside her office and chatted for a few moments, a good bit of public relations, laying down what would happen a few years in the future. The welcoming of an S-rank hero. The retirement of a drunken has-been.

Less than ten minutes after that ceremony was over, Naruto had said goodbye to several people, including Konohamaru, and was walking down the road through the trees leading away from the village. Jiraiya was to his side. Uchiha Itachi, a quiet, cagey person, was just behind.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked.

"Kumo."

"Why?"

"They sent a jinchuuriki to mess with us during the tournament, cost a bunch of people their lives."

"We still have him?"

"Her? Yes, in the prison block, the room where they kept Orochimaru if I hear correctly."

"So..."

"You need practice. I feel like venting, too. Good practice, too. They have the eight-tails. Let's not pick a fight with him if we can help it."

"Right," Naruto said.

"Although if you want to make a splash..."

"I'd rather make a splash than be a splash on a rock."

Jiraiya laughed, strained and false. He'd had problems with his sensei for years, but the man's death was troubling to him. All the loose ends would forever remain loose.

Itachi said nothing.

Naruto looked forward toward the afternoon sun. He looked at Jiraiya and Itachi. The three of them, very not inconspicuous. The Roving School for S-Rankers is what Naruto called it. It amused him if not the others.

He hadn't told anyone of his final two missions for the Hokage, but they weighed on him. He wasn't 'Tsunade's' ninja. He was Sarutobi's. He was Konoha's, still doing it's business even after it seemed he left under something of a cloud, a disgrace forced by the Fire Daimyo.

Naruto was fine letting the gossip exhaust itself. He had other worries, harder ones.

Three years sounded like a long time, but it wasn't. Not when the clock was ticking, not when he had three of the hardest techniques he could find in Sarutobi-sensei's library encoded in his backpack. Including one scroll from the First Hokage on how to maintain and improve the forest he'd created...there were fuinjutsu schema in that scroll that no one had seen before, let alone tried. Things to strengthen the forest, to grow it, expand it without the need of Mokuton.

Naruto had three years to stretch himself, polish off the rough edges.

He had three years to make a name for himself, a name equal to or greater than what Tsunade had possessed at the height of her prowess.

Three years to become a war leader. To build a will of fire and a heart of stone.


End file.
